Atlanta Braves’ Fight to Sign Some International Players Might Not Be With Just the Players

Lazarito Latest to Learn that there is a Price for Freedom – MLB Remains Silent

You may have been curious about the silence on Cuban teen Lazaro “Lazarito” Armenteros.  In January and early February, there was a flurry of activity:  he held several showcase events, was approved to be signed after February 10th under the current International signing period, held private showcases (including with the Atlanta Braves), and then… nothing.

This week, we’ve been given a glimpse into the murky world that surrounds the escape and marketing of these Cuban baseball players.  Let’s just say that no one is doing this for humanitarian reasons.

Leonys and Felonies

On Tuesday, Bart Hernandez, the former agent for Leonys Martin was indicted on US Federal charges of Human Trafficking.  Specifically, he was charged with bringing Martin into the United States illegally for the purpose of personal financial gain.  According to Martin, it was actually worse than that.  He was taken under guard to a house in Mexico – kidnapped – until he agreed to turn over 30% of future earning to his ‘liberators.’

All of this information is contained in a story by Stephen Young in the Dallas Observer this week, and seems to ring true for many of the Cuban expatriates.  Many have negotiated large  up-front bonuses as part of their deals, which most likely has been used to pay off their own extractors.

• Hector Olivera:  $28 million
• Jose Abreu:  $10 million
• Yasiel Puig:  $12 million
• Yoan Moncada:  $31.5 million (slightly different; no major league deal included)
• Leonys Martin:  $5 million of $15.5 million… 32% of the total contract

There aren’t many such bonuses paid to US-born players.

When you think about it, those who have the money, resources, connections, and ability to pull off such schemes of spiriting people out of one Caribbean country and into another under cover of stealth and without governmental permissions might have other enterprises with equally dubious legal status.  So adding additional activities like kidnapping, threats, and extortion would hardly be beyond reach as well.

That brings me back to Lazarito.

Death Threats

Agent Charles Hairston was representing Armenteros in negotiation with major league clubs.  The difference between Hairston and Bart Hernandez?  Hairston is apparently trying to do the right things for his client – and wasn’t involved in the nefarious actions that Hernandez has been tied to.

The bad news for Hairston?  His idea of “best interests of his client” did not agree with those who were still looking for a quick payday.

According to a story yesterday by Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi:

"Charles Hairston, who has been the player’s negotiating representative in discussions with major-league clubs, told FOX Sports on Monday night that his life was threatened by the Dominican Republic-based investor who represents Lazarito. Hairston said that his agency, at least for now, no longer would represent the player.Hairston declined to identify the Dominican Republic-based investor, or “buscon,” citing concerns for the safety of his co-workers."

It is my opinion that you could replace the phrases “buscon” and “investor” with “Human Trafficker”.

Hairston seems to have run afoul of this “buscon” because Hairston seemed to be steering Lazarito toward a July+ signing to increase the number of teams eligible/willing to sign his client.  Not willing to wait that long for his payout, the Buscon has responded by threatening to kill Hairston.

Is this typical?  When you’re dealing with shady characters willing to do illegal things for profit, the answer probably is “yes”.  Yet all the while this is going on, major league baseball is effectively encouraging this behavior by doing two obvious things:

• Paying handsomely for Cuban players pulled out of the country
• Doing nothing whatsoever to discourage the behavior

Beating the System

MLB is actually encouraging the practice via actions such as manipulating signing dates (Lazarito being one of these), supporting paperwork to get players cleared… and indeed by fast-tracking players through the process.  Teams are likewise encouraging this by throwing money at virtually any warm body that hails from Cuba (witness the announcement from today as I was putting this piece together).

Major League Baseball should recognize these practices for what they are:  criminal enterprises that put millions of dollars into the hands of the people that run them.  Perhaps the legal arms of the United States cannot reach most of these ‘buscons’, but MLB can take steps to curb their appetites:

• Make all Cuban players subject to International spending pool limits – no exceptions
• Do not approve waivers to allow manipulation of the market signing periods
• Change spending rules to forbid any bonus spending greater than 200% of pool limits in any signing period
• Change spending rules to forbid bonus spending to any single player in excess of 100% of pool limit and no more than 50% of that up front
• Put real penalties behind these rules

An alternative:  institute an international player draft… with no exceptions.

All of these proposals would suppress prices and payouts to the human traffickers involved in the process and substantially reduce their profit motives.  Limit the bonuses; you limit the profiteering.

Would this also reduce the numbers of players escaping Cuba?  Yes, though many are also finding that they are not necessarily major league material anyway… and new Braves’ pitcher Carlos Portuondo could be in that kind of category.  I hate it for them, for they all have dreams of the major leagues… but is it worth the risks?  The costs?

Next: Projecting the Prospects... Numbers 10-6

Let’s just hope that nobody has to get killed before MLB stops turning blind eyes to this very real problem.