A Dominican teenager who would lead the Padres‘ 2027 international signing class is five years older than previously thought. according to a report from ESPN.
The Padres declined to comment.
A Major League Baseball investigation determined that Cesar Altagracia is 19, not 14. He verbally agreed to sign with the Padres in 2027 for $4 million, which represented a significant portion of the Padres’ bonus pool that year.
This offer has been withdrawn and Altagracia is suspended.
According to ESPN, Altagracia represented the Dominican Republic at the 2022 U12 Baseball World Cup and the U15 Pan American Championship this summer under false documentation.
International prospects can sign with major league teams starting at age 16.
The Padres’ top two prospects, catcher Ethan Salas and shortstop Leodalis De Vries, signed for $5.6 million and $4.2 million, respectively, over the last two seasons. Both were considered top prospects in their class, which likely would have been the case with Altagracia in January 2027 if the MLB investigation hadn’t uncovered forged documents.
Like Salas and De Vries, Altagracia had a verbal agreement with the Padres, as is common with teams trying to identify top candidates for annual international budgets. Some players agree to agreements starting when they are 12 or 13 years old and continue training under unofficial team supervision until they are 16 years old. However, these agreements are not final until ink meets paper.
The Padres, for example, had a verbal agreement with 17-year-old Mexican right-hander Humberto Cruz, but couldn’t sign him until February last year because they had to negotiate international signing bonuses. Signing Xander Bogaerts cost them the bonus money the team was counting on for the class.
Because of these oral agreements and the fact that players and/or agents forge documents in search of wages that can relieve families of economic hardship, the international amateur market is often viewed as something of a Wild West.
AJ Preller, the Padres’ president of baseball operations, has made a name for himself in the international market, although he has also taken a beating there. The Padres were fined in 2015 for taking underage Venezuelan prospects and some of their parents to a training camp in Aruba. Preller was suspended during his time with the Rangers in 2010 for an improper trade involving an international free agent. according to the New York Times.
Originally published: November 4, 2024 at 7:28 am PST
