latest offseason news

[Windingmywatch]

according to Yahoo's Bowman:

There have been mixed reports on the feelings of other MLB executives, but the signing is expected to be approved by MLB. Some reports have said that teams were unhappy with the signing of Beras since most teams did not believe he was eligible, but more reports are coming that teams had been made aware of his age and that he as free to sign with a team.

See ... if there is doubt you offer him a contract. If he signs it and it turns out he's 17 then you got the guy. If his birth certificate is proven to be wrong (not sure how you do that) ... then its voided. Simple as that.

This is analogous to arguing with the 1b umpire about a play at 1b while 2 runs score. You certainly don't stand around and say "we don't believe he is eligible" with your hands in your pockets.

 

[Windingmywatch]

Another reason why AL pitchers ought to not go to the NL late in their career. They have to practice with that wooden thing.

Burnett hit in eye, headed to Pittsburgh for examinations

Bradenton, FL – Pirates hurler A.J. Burnett suffered a right eye injury and is headed back to Pittsburgh for further evaluation.

Burnett was stricken on Wednesday when his own bunt attempt off a pitch from a machine bounced off his bat and struck his face between the eye and temple.

Bucs general manager Neal Huntington said the 35-year-old will return to the Steel City Wednesday night and have tests on Thursday.

Burnett was acquired on February 18 from the New York Yankees, and had been the presumed Opening Day starter.

Burnett hit in eye, headed to Pittsburgh for examinations | Fox News

 

[Ginger]

I find this Beras intrigue to be interesting. Everything I've read is that his age was not verified by MLB. If he really is 17 then the Rangers should be able to keep him. Not sure why they'd spend that kind of dough on a kid of that age but hey, they don't make a lot of mistakes do they? They have a very good team for evaluating and acquiring talent.

 

[jta4437]

Anyone got a good scouting report on this kid yet? I've never heard of him

 

[Al Falfa]

See ... if there is doubt you offer him a contract. If he signs it and it turns out he's 17 then you got the guy. If his birth certificate is proven to be wrong (not sure how you do that) ... then its voided. Simple as that.

This is analogous to arguing with the 1b umpire about a play at 1b while 2 runs score. You certainly don't stand around and say "we don't believe he is eligible" with your hands in your pockets.

The age question may be more about the age of the birth document than the age of the kid. :smile:

 

[Xx srs bsns xX]

Anyone got a good scouting report on this kid yet? I've never heard of him

Quick and dirty from Keith Law: Plus hit, projectable body, future plus power

Think of a younger Juan Gonzalez... (forget where I read that comp)

 

[kennyt12]

Another great move by JD! Hopefully he turns out to be 17 and MLB doesn't void the deal.

 

[fordman84]

Another great move by JD! Hopefully he turns out to be 17 and MLB doesn't void the deal.

I just hope that he doesn't turn out to be 17 and the MLB plays some sort of "well we have to be fair" card and void the Rangers contract and open bidding.

I could see them pulling some crap like that.

 

[Windingmywatch]

I just hope that he doesn't turn out to be 17 and the MLB plays some sort of "well we have to be fair" card and void the Rangers contract and open bidding.

I could see them pulling some crap like that.

I know what you meant ... but that's not what you wrote ... I think.

 

[scotsman1948]

I just hope that he doesn't turn out to be 17 and the MLB plays some sort of "well we have to be fair" card and void the Rangers contract and open bidding.

I could see them pulling some crap like that.

according to Bob Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus:

Here are the primary points that are causing confusion:

1. Beras participated in the biggest international showcase of the year held in early February in the Dominican Republic, featuring top prospects from both the Dominican and Venezuela. While teams were told by Major League Baseball that all participating players had cleared identification and date of birth investigations as well as drug testing, the roster sheet distributed at the game indicated that birth dates had not been confirmed.

2. Multiple teams say that Beras had conducted private workouts for them at their respective complexes in the Dominican Republic in the months leading up to the contract. All of those teams claim that at the time of the workouts, Beras claimed a birth date of December 25, 1995 and that he would not be eligible to sign until the July 2 signing date. One team contacted for this piece stated that the Beras camp continually delayed or deferred multiple requests to provide documentation concerning his identification.

3. By submitting a contract to Major League Baseball, the Rangers are saying he is 17 years old and therefore eligible to sign, and there are multiple sources indicating there is official documentation indicating a date of birth of December 25, 1994. That would make the contract valid. Unfortunately, we also get into the reality of the Dominican Republic, which is in many ways a third-world country with third-world record keeping. It is common practice there for birth certificates to be bought, sold, and falsified. Beras's background is one of extreme poverty—even for his home country—as multiple sources also indicated that Beras's birth was not registered with the government until he was approximately one year old. This is actually quite common in the Dominican Republic, where many home births are never officially accounted for.

 

[scotsman1948]

and to continue:

Questions That Remain

1. Did Beras ever submit paperwork to Major League Baseball? According to Passan's article, Major League Baseball is in possession of a birth certificate that states the 1995 date of birth. Still, his inability or unwillingness to provide documentation to teams is troubling, and he was not required to submit paperwork to Major League Baseball for the purpose of July 2 eligibility until March 1, which is oddly just one day after the signing was announced.

2. If Beras is truly 17, why would he claim to be 16? While the answer might seem obvious, in this year's market, it's far more complicated. If Beras was eligible to sign before the new CBA rules went into effect, he would be in line for a far bigger bonus than if he was July 2 eligible, and his $4.5 million deal well exceeds the $2.9 million international spending cap that will go into effect with the July 2 signing period. So why even claim to be 16? Why not live in what has been a very expensive final year of free-market economics, as opposed to passing yourself off as a market-limited player? It's possible that he simply did not know how old he was; again, this might seem nonsensical, but it does happen in the Dominican Republic. It's also possible that once he was discovered to be 17, the Rangers made a take-it-or-leave-it offer—and a genuinely good one—to avoid a bidding war. Such offers are also common, and if the Rangers found out he was 17, the onus is not on them to share that information, either with other teams or with Major League baseball. An article written about Beras in a Nicaraguan newspaper calls the player 17 years old in November of last year, which has left one international scouting director wondering if 1994 is even the correct year of birth.

3. What happens from here? No matter how the limited facts in this case are interpreted at this point, nearly every interpretation ends with what would be referred to legally as deception. If the player presented himself to be 16 years old—and such a birth certificate submitted to Major League Baseball would be the smoking gun—then the player has misrepresented his age. If Major League Baseball agrees, then his contract with Texas would be voided, and the player would likely be suspended from signing for a period of one year.

As with everything in international signings, there are potential loopholes, as the official rules state that a player cannot misrepresent his age when signing with a club. Under the strictest of definitions, if Beras is truly 17, he did not lie about his age upon signing, but the rule is to be interpreted by Major League Baseball, which must already be horribly embarrassed by the entire situation. Beras was the big name in this year's international class, and Beras was the player everybody wanted to watch in this showcase for a league that MLB itself has funded and is very proud of.

Unfortunately, the Dominican Republic has seen corruption at multiple levels in the past, from buscones to scouts to the major league baseball investigators themselves. Nothing about this deal looks good for baseball, and nothing about this deal looks like it will stick for the Rangers or the player, and in the end, the person who will pay the steepest price is probably Jairo Beras, who deserves and can afford it least.

 

[Windingmywatch]

The age question may be more about the age of the birth document than the age of the kid. :smile:

More likely he was trying to make himself look younger than the right age ... rather than older. Until the CBA was changed.

 

[fordman84]

I know what you meant ... but that's not what you wrote ... I think.

what I meant is that I hope MLB to save face doesn't void the contract, announce that they discovered he is 17, and now that everyone knows it let everyone offer him their own contract.

 

[Al Falfa]

More likely he was trying to make himself look younger than the right age ... rather than older. Until the CBA was changed.

After looking at his photo and size he looks like he could pass for 19 or 20. There's a good chance the kid doesn't even know how old he is.

 

[fordman84]

More likely he was trying to make himself look younger than the right age ... rather than older. Until the CBA was changed.

This is what I think happened. Also, i think Goldstein mentioned it as well, but if he was as poor as everyone says then he might have been born at home. If so, no paperwork is submitted until he is around 1 year old. The birthdate is set at that time, meaning he is really one year older than the birth cert says.

Who knows.

 

[scotsman1948]

what I meant is that I hope MLB to save face doesn't void the contract, announce that they discovered he is 17, and now that everyone knows it let everyone offer him their own contract.

Senior VP for baseball operations Kim Ng says MLB hopes to resolve the Jairo Beras issue soon, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweets. The Rangers agreed to terms with the Dominican teenager yesterday, but MLB and competing executives believe he is 16 and therefore too young to sign.

 

[scotsman1948]

wonder if MLB will investigate this:

The Mariners signed French left-hander Alexandre Roy, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 6’1” 16-year-old is a ‘project’ who can reach 88 mph with his fastball and offers a developing change-up.

 

[scotsman1948]

wonder if MLB will investigate this:

The Mariners signed French left-hander Alexandre Roy, Ben Badler of Baseball America reports. The 6’1” 16-year-old is a ‘project’ who can reach 88 mph with his fastball and offers a developing change-up.

 

[Xx srs bsns xX]

Probably has to do with when he was born... meaning he was eligible to sign with anyone. Whereas Beras's birthdate is supposedly 12/25/95 (meaning just turned 16...and would not have turned 17 until after the new CBA rules fire up on July 2)

Forget what date a player needs to turn 17 by.... not sure if its july 2, start of the season, or what...

 

[Windingmywatch]

Senior VP for baseball operations Kim Ng says MLB hopes to resolve the Jairo Beras issue soon, Yahoo’s Tim Brown tweets. The Rangers agreed to terms with the Dominican teenager yesterday, but MLB and competing executives believe he is 16 and therefore too young to sign.

Bunch of East Coast Winers. After Nolan "Venturas" Ng ... MLB will see this much more clearly.