Is The MLB Ready For Another Scandal?
August 6, 2008 by Ribbie3b
Filed under Baseball News, Truth/Rumors
In the past few years, there has been numerous scandals involving almost every professional sport, some worse than others, others worse than some. Athletes like Michael Vick, Roger Clemens, and Tim Donaghy do not need their stories retold as the dark cloud above their heads called “the media” hasn’t left any details unsung.
Steroids in baseball, referees betting on games they officiate, and killing dogs were suppose to take the cake right? I thought so, until I came across a few baseball news sites early this morning, that paint the picture of the MLB trying to hang themselves. Reports are now beginning to surface about another possible scandal in Major League Baseball that has potentially equal or more “fire power” than the steroid scuttlebutt. However in this case, it seems as though Major League Baseball is the one being scammed.
According to the Bleacher Report, it was reported in March that White Sox Director of Scouting, David Wilder, was caught by United States Customs attempting to smuggle $40,000 cash into Miami. Since then, Wilder has been cooperating with FBI and MLB officials and has been fired by the White Sox.
Why the smuggling? Fortunately for investigators, Wilder has sung like a canary. Apparently, many scouts have been scouting players in Latin America and other surrounding territories. If the scouts see an ounce of star potential in a player’s performance, the player is bribed with huge dollar salaries and signed with inflated bonuses. I’m not sure what the best part is; the fact that the players suck or the fact that the scouts then force the players to give them a cut of their own offer. Now that’s hot stuff!
The Bleacher Report is not the only source of information on this shocking story. Wait! Was that really shocking? According to Market Place Public Radio, last week, the top Dominican scout for the Boston Red Sox was fired over accusations involved in the skinny dipping of bonuses. Tough one buddy! You won’t have to ask Arizona catcher Chris Snyder about what it feels like to shatter a nut! ESPN has reported that as many as 20 people could be implicated in this scandal involving more than a dozen ball clubs.
Controversy is also surrounding the fate of Yankees Prospect OF Kelvin DeLeon. Kelv “the man” is only 17-years old and from the Dominican Republic. He signed a deal in July of ‘07 for 1.1 million total watermelons. The problem is-the salary and bonus contracted does not match his talent or ability. SCAM!
Scouts are reportedly up to no good. I stress the word “reportedly” because in America you are innocent until proven guilty. For all we know the media could have it backwards, sideways, upside-down or out when its suppose to be in. However, if these reports are correct, the MLB is going to take another shot to its image, and have a few more problems other than steroids.
oh the irony.
Good article, I learned alot. Keep up the good work!
Learn how to write a good article. Or take this one off and have someone proof it. Also, your not funny - stick to the news. Leave the jokes to comedians.
How can someone complain about another person’s grammar by saying, “You grammar is terrible.”
Honestly. Read the article, enjoy the work that went into it, and go on about your day without insult.
He obviously has too much time on his hands. He can’t understand why his comments are moderated….Thanks Roy!
Why do you have a picture of a Red Sox player when the story has nothing to do with the organization?
Incredibly misleading…
The picture is of Dominican Michael Almanzar who was signed for 3.3 million dollars around the same time as Kelvin DeLeon.
Should have specified…
Teams spending exorbitant amounts of money on unproven talents in Latin America and the Caribbean is not necessarily a scandal, but mostly represents desperate scouting programs or poor management.
This is shady, to be sure, but there’s nothing stopping teams from paying Joe Schmoe a $5 million dollar signing bonus sight-unseen. If it doesn’t work out the team’s just out $5 million and gets a bad reputation for developing “talent.”
Scouts coercing money from the same players they were sent to sign is more troubling - it’s an indication of how slimy scouts can be and should also send a message to ownership to get these programs under control.
I would hope the league office and the player’s association would investigate these claims and if proven true, pressure teams put a stop to these shady practices.
However, we don’t know all the facts (allegations of one scout that seem plausible aren’t enough to paint the whole picture), and until we do, I think we’d be jumping the gun to call this an industry-crushing scandal on par with Tim Donaghy’s betting on basketball games he officiates or the steroid woes of baseball.
This stuff was on espn and other news sources months ago. Congrats on catching up. It’s not a scandal; just unethical. Business as usual.
This article is extremely misleading. Yes, it is wrong for the MLB scouts to be trimming off the top of the bonuses given to the players they are scouting. This I completely agree with, and everyone involved should be fired, and whatever legal action that can be taken should be.
However, I notice some undertones and jabs at players being “SCAMMED” because their bonuses do not represent their skill or ability. These players are extremely young, and many of them will NEVER reach the major leagues. These bonuses (usually hundreds of thousands of dollars or more) represent a life time worth of work in the Dominican. I’m not sure if the numbers, but I could imagine that it would take decades to earn a $100,000 down there. It’s a win-win, the MLB organizations get to sign and develop quality young players for a lot less money compared to if they developed american born talent, and the players get more money than they, or anyone in their family has ever seen.
Baseball: the forgotten sport.