There have been rumblings throughout the league in recent months that the Los Angeles Dodgers were among the teams being investigated by MLB for potential international signing and scouting misconduct.
If found guilty, the consequences are believed to be as severe as what the Atlanta Braves organization was recently forced to deal with when they were found guilty of mishaps.
Their general manager at the time, John Coppolella, was given a lifetime ban from baseball, while the other consequences included them forfeiting draft picks, international signing money, as well as 12 of their international prospects that were signed during the time that they were breaking rules were ruled free agents and have since signed with other organizations.
Those are very harsh penalties that would obviously cripple an organization like the Dodgers for many years to come. However, those whispers around the league the last few months appear to be just that.
According to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports, neither the Dodgers nor any other club are currently being investigated by the league for international scouting misconduct:
MLB is not currently investigating the Dodgers — or any other club, for that matter — for alleged international misconduct, according to sources. Seems to be a popular topic — and misconception — lately.
— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) January 29, 2019
If true, this is really good news for the Dodgers and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman as they can now move forward without that cloud over their head.
The Dodgers have been one of the more active teams on the international market in recent years, signing top prospects and promising young players like Keibert Ruiz, Yadier Alvarez, Yusniel Diaz, Yordan Alvarez and Diego Cartaya.
That should continue now that they won’t face any sort of penalties. They will be a tad limited in the upcoming year though after signing free agent A.J. Pollock, who was given a qualifying offer from the Arizona Diamondbacks at the beginning of the offseason.
By signing Pollock, the Dodgers forfeited a draft pick and $500,000 in international money for the upcoming signing period.
