The GM meetings concluded with no real news to discuss. Meanwhile the Atlanta Braves and their fans await their punishment
GM meetings are bland events and this year was no exception. A lack of news means everyone is talking about Giancarlo Stanton’s new home or annual award winners.
Those topics exhausted, Ken Rosenthal writing in the Athletic ($) rehashed potential punishments for the Atlanta Braves.
A story about not much
I believe Rosenthal to be the best in the business but aside from implying the investigation is over, this post wasn’t one of his most insightful. The implication that MLB ended the investigation comes from Rosenthal’s’ opening sentence.
"Baseball commissioner Rob Manfred is still deciding the penalties the Atlanta Braves will receive for violating rules in the international market."
He went on to say that the punishment would:
- Definitely include loss of prospects
- Those prospects would be players signed via the international bonus pools
- possibly include substantial fines and restrictions on future international signings
Rosenthal quoted his source as saying Commissioner Manfred had not decided which players would be lost. He opines that (surprise) Kevin Maitan would be the biggest loss and effectively a $4.25M fine just as the signing bonuses given by the Red Sox were back in 2015.
According to Rosenthal’s source, Maitan had so far “not progress as rapidly as some Braves officials hoped” and “grew thicker in the lower half.” In other words a 16-year-old kid had trouble adjusting to playing baseball as a job everyday, that’s not a surprise.
I’m shocked –nay dismayed- that a teenager who grew up dirt poor and may now eat what he wants whenever he wants and got a little pudgy.
Rosenthal also rehashed the Red Sox faux pas, mentioned in passing the rumored deal with a 14-year-old prospect and the Yahoo report about the apartment where Maitan and another player lived prior to the draft.
Aside from Maitan’s girth and the commissioner’s lack of a decision there’s no news in his piece. There was however a tidbit about another investigation.
Yo-Ho-Ho, you’re fired
In a separate piece, Rosenthal revealed one of the other teams under investigation; the Pirates or rather an employee.
It seems that the a few years back, Bucs Director of Latin American Scouting Rene Gayo was a naughty boy. . .err scout. Apparently Gayo facilitated the sale of a player – by a so far unnamed Mexican League team – to the Pirates. The Mexican League team appreciated his help so much they put lots of thank you pesos in his piggy bank.
The Pirates organization was not involved aside from taking a the word of a scout who worked for them for more than a decade. As a result Rosenthal’s source said the Pirates would not face punishment.
The Pirates fired Gayo today and released a statement which said in part:
"“we had been apprised of Major League Baseball’s investigation into alleged Rules violations committed by Rene. . . and the fact that MLB intends to discipline Rene as a result of those violations. Other than confirming our profound disappointment. . . we will have no further comment on the investigation or MLB’s intended discipline.”"
The interesting part of that is not the lack of punishment for the team; they did nothing wrong. The indication that MLB is going to discipline Gayo in some way is however new.
When the Braves investigation started and many times since, I suggested the individuals who carried out the rule violations could be punished as well as the team. We now know MLB can do that. Perhaps that’s why Coppolella hired a lawyer so quickly.
That’s a Wrap
Like most of you, I’m tired. I’m tired of hearing all the babble about Stanton’s new home.
I’m tired of the perennial whining by Brian Kenny that WAR should decide the MVP award. That silly and wrong.
I’m tired of the media rehashing the mess created by Coppolella and allowed to exist by Hart and Schuerholz, without adding any substance
I just want it to end so we can get on with the postseason. Take Maitan and give him to the Padres. . .unless they too are being investigated. Maybe the Yankees … no wait they’ve been investigated before too. Just do something and quit dithering.
Here’s another idea MLB; fix it so that children too young to shave aren’t treated like the allen wrench that comes with cheap furniture: used and then thrown away. You make the rules; change them.
Change the rules so that no amateur international player may sign a contract of any kind with any major league team, one of its affiliated companies or any person who works for a team even as a consultant, until the player is 18 years of age.
Create a system so that anyone other than a parent who operates as a buscone, quasi agent, or representative (or whatever they choose to call themselves) for these potential players must be vetted and approved by MLB – particularly those who do not speak English.
If another country doesn’t like those rules tell them to go home and create a system that prevents exploitation of uneducated children.
No child of born in the USA can sign at 16, why do you allow it to happen elsewhere? You have the authority to stop or significantly curtail these abuses. I know it’s hard but it is the right thing to do.
I’d much rather wait on a player to grow up so he understands what’s going one than see players with no chance used as lubricant to smooth the path for truly talented players then thrown away.
You may not be able to fix the political corruption in those countries, but you don’t have to feed that corruption and child exploitation with millions of dollars. Radical I know, but worth a try.