MLB penalizes Braves for violating signing rules
EX-GM banned for life; team loses 13 prospects
The Atlanta Braves lost 13 prospects and former general manager John Coppolella was banned for life by Major League Baseball on Tuesday for circumventing international signing rules from 2015-17.
Former Atlanta special assistant Gordon Blakeley, who was the team’s international scouting chief, was suspended one year by Commissioner Rob Manfred. Sanctions imposed by Manfred will leave the Braves unable to bargain at full strength for a top Latin American prospect until 2021.
Manfred said MLB’S investigation determined the Braves moved international signing bonus pool money from one player to boost another player’s contract.
Most notable among the players the Braves will lose is Kevin Maitan, an infielder from Venezuela who signed for $4.25 million in 2016.
Other “high-value” players the Braves will lose include Juan Contreras, Yefri del Rosario, Abrahan Gutierrez, Juan Carlos Negret, Yenci Peña, Yunior Severino, Livan Soto and Guillermo Zuniga.
Three more international signees — Brandol Mezquita, Angel Rojas and Antonio Sucre — were declared free agents. The team’s contract with prospect Ji-hwan Bae, which was not yet final, was disapproved. Finally, the Braves were banned from signing prospect Robert Puason in the 2019-20 signing period.
The 13 players will be free to negotiate as free agents with other teams.
Also, the Braves will forfeit their third-round selection in the 2018 draft as punishment for offering “impermissible benefits” to an unnamed draft pick in an effort to convince him to sign for a lower bonus.
The investigation showed the players signed by the Braves in 201617 would have been unavailable if the team had not circumvented the rules by moving bonus pool money.
Coppolella, 39, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.
The Braves said in a statement released Tuesday they “understand and accept the decision regarding the penalties that have been handed down.”
MLB, Japanese league near agreement:
Major League Baseball, its players’ union and the Japanese commissioner’s office have agreed to a new posting system that could allow standout pitcher-outfielder Shohei Ohtani to be put up for bid next week, according to a source. The agreement is ot in writing and must be ratified by MLB, Nippon Professional Baseball and the
MLBL Players Association. MLB owners are scheduled to vote for ratification on Dec. 1, and Ohtani is expected to be posted then or the following day, the source said. The deal calls for the negotiating period this offseason to be cut to 21 days from 30. The posting fee limit this offseason remains $20 million, and Ohtani’s club, the Pacific League’s Nippon Ham Fighters, is expected to seek the maximum for the 23-year-old star.
New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge is expected to be ready for spring training after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. The operation was performed Monday by Dr. Neal Elattrache in Los Angeles. The Yankees say the procedure involved a loose-body removal and cartilage cleanup. Judge, 25, hit .284 with 52 homers and 114 RBIS in 155 games and was a unanimous selection for AL Rookie of the Year.
Judge has shoulder surgery: