Just when you thought that Jeff Luhnow had snagged one of the top international free agents of 2016, something changed. In September, the Houston Astros were reported to have signed 20-year-old left-handed pitcher Cionel Perez from Cuba. While we are not exactly sure what happened, Jake Kaplan reported that the Astros have voided the $5.15 million dollar deal.
If the deal were not voided, the Astros would have had to pay double the $5.15 million as a penalty for overspending. They would have had to pay $5.15 million to the player and pay a $5.15 million dollar tax penalty.