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Diego Padres falsified his paperwork and is five years older than previously believed, resulting in the agreement being withdrawn, sources told ESPN.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