Earlier this week, a detailed report by Will Hobson, Teri Thompson, and Christian Red of the Washington Post reported that the Atlanta Braves are one of a few teams involved in a Department of Justice investigation of MLB activities in Latin America related to international signings, including players from Cuba.
While the report does not feature too many specifics regarding the extent of the investigation’s impact on the Braves, here’s what we know:
- One focus of the investigation is uncovering “buscones” or other third parties who force international signees (especially from Cuba), to remit, forfeit, or otherwise send a large portion of their baseball earnings in exchange for services rendered (including, in Cuba’s case, passage [read: smuggling] off the island nation.
- The Department of Justice has issued subpoenas to the Braves for its records related to scouting and signing activities in Latin America. While the Braves have not been particularly involved in the high-dollar Cuban defector market in recent years, they were prolific participants in the international free agent market until recent MLB-imposed penalties associated with improprieties therein under the watch of former General Manager John Coppolella. (Yunel Escobar, Barbaro Canizares, and Brayan Pena are notable Cuban defectors of yesteryear to be signed by the organization, though none received high-dollar, multiyear deal; Escobar actually entered the MLB draft after defecting to Florida.)
- A particular focus of the investigation could be the process by which noted boondoggle Hector Olivera made his way from Cuba to Haiti and was ultimately signed by the Dodgers. While the Braves may have pursued Olivera and made an ultimately regrettable trade for his services, this aspect of the investigation may pertain more to the Dodgers and their personnel than to the Braves. Olivera himself has apparently testified to a grand jury regarding his experience.
- The investigation appears to have a specific focus on the now-terminated Coppolella. While already banned from MLB for life, it remains unclear whether the erstwhile Braves GM may face further legal troubles as a result of federal scrutiny. Perhaps curiously, Coppolella appears to have retained the services of Jacksonville attorney Hank Coxe, whose business webpage states he “specializes in serious federal and state criminal matters.”
- “Two veteran scouts who have worked for the Dodgers and Braves” have already testified to a federal grand jury or spoken to federal agents. (The article does not specify which.)
The Atlanta organization has not commented publicly on the investigation or its participation therein.
This probably isn’t the last we hear of this investigation. Stay tuned, if that sort of thing floats your boat.
Loading comments...