Per a report from ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and Jorge Castillo, an MLB-led investigation found that a teenager who assumed the name Cesar Altagracia, a top teenage international prospect from the Dominican Republic who had verbally agreed to sign with the San Diego Padres, falsified his age. Altagracia had claimed to be 14 years old, but MLB officials found that he is actually 19 years of age. Altagracia had verbally agreed to sign for $4 million with the Padres.
The agreement would have gone into effect in January 2027, once Altagracia had become eligible as a 16-year-old. However, the MLB investigation found that the teenager is five years older than his claimed age, despite Altagracia playing in the U-15 Pan American Championships this summer under a false identity. Altagracia also represented the D.R. at the 2022 U-12 Baseball World Cup in which his squad made it all the way to the Bronze Medal game. The Padres and Major League Baseball declined request for comment regarding this situation. The Dominican Baseball Federation is also investigating the matter in addition to the MLB, sources told Gonzalez.
The international market in baseball is historically diluted with falsifications, miscommunications, and teams often rescinding their agreements with players. Athletes as young as 12 or 13 are known to verbally sign with clubs, with deals known to fall through due to regime changes and stunted development. There is however, tremendous possible boom within international signings with countless stars, including Andruw Jones, Miguel Cabrera and Mariano Rivera, signing out of their respective Countries.
Players who are found to have falsified their age are typically given a one-year suspension before being allowed to reapply. It is unclear at this time whether that will be the case for the 19-year-old Cesar Altagracia and what precedents will be set regarding this issue for the future.
