Sources: MLB finds prospect linked to Padres falsified age

A Major League Baseball investigation recently found a top teenage prospect in the Dominican Republic who had verbally agreed to sign with the San Diego Padres falsified his paperwork and is 5 years older than previously believed, resulting in the agreement being withdrawn, sources told ESPN.

The teenager, who assumed the name Cesar Altagracia, verbally agreed to sign with the Padres for about $4 million, a substantial bonus that signified he was considered one of the top international prospects in his class. The transaction would have become official in January 2027, once Altagracia became eligible to sign as a 16-year-old international free agent.

But MLB discovered he is 19 years old, not 14, as his documents stated. The teenager represented the Dominican Republic at the 2022 U-12 Baseball World Cup and at the U-15 Pan American Championships this summer under the false identity, sources said.

An MLB spokesman declined to comment. The Padres also declined to comment. The Dominican Baseball Federation is investigating the matter, as well, sources said.

Players who have been found to have falsified their ages are typically handed a one-year suspension before they are allowed to reapply.

The existence of a spending cap in the international market, implemented as part of the collective bargaining agreement beginning in 2012, and the race to identify the best talent in a baseball hotbed such as the Dominican Republic have prompted teams to regularly agree to deals with players years before they become eligible to sign at age 16. Deals are struck with players as young as 12 or 13 years old, at which point they train under a team's supervision, out of sight from rival evaluators, until signing day.

It is not uncommon, however, for teams to pull prearranged deals weeks before players would sign them, either because a prospect did not develop as expected or because turnover in the team's front office altered philosophies, sources said.

The signing of amateur players has fueled an entire economy rife with corruption. The past year has seen an uptick in high-profile players showcasing themselves with falsified birth certificates to present themselves as much as five years younger, sources said. Many of those players have had their bonuses pulled after investigations uncovered the information.