Just before the start of the 2026 season, MLB teams lined up offering pre-agreements to a few international talents. And the surprising part was that most of them were minors and not ready to play before 2029. While that sounds cool, things didn’t go as planned. Allegations like PED usage and lying about age started coming into light.

The Phillies were a victim of the same, and now the Guardians are the next.

“The Cleveland Guardians canceled the $2.8 million agreement they had with Dominican prospect David Severino after it was discovered that he was two years older than initially reported. Severino was originally eligible to sign in the 2029 international class. But after the investigation, it was determined that he actually belongs to the 2027 class, which led to the agreement being terminated,” MLB insider Wilbar Sanchez shared via X.

Switch-hitter Severino was last seen training in the Jaime Ramos Baseball Academy, and he was set to play in the 2029 class. Manager Stephen Vogt would have planned for a future star readying up.

He was eligible to sign on the 1/15/29 signing day. Now, he is reclassified for eligibility to sign on the upcoming 1/15/27 signing day. While Severino, lying 2 years younger, may seem to be a small case and the Guardians would continue with him if numbers are fine, it suggests the bigger challenge that comes with offering multi-million dollar deals to the minors.

Last March, the Phillies had to suspend a minor for testing positive for PEDs. “The Phillies have canceled the $1.3 million pre-agreement they had with their top international prospect from the 2029 class after the player tested positive for banned substances,” Sanchez reported back then.

Hence, the minors from the Caribbean and Latin American region are racing against time to secure a deal with an MLB team.

Last year, an investigative report by Diario Libre sports editor Nathanel Perez Nero revealed an uneasy truth. One Dominican child born in 2013 showed enough power with the bat before age 10 that his parents attempted to negotiate a $300,000 payment in exchange for a percentage of the child’s signing bonus. Another incident was reported about a Dominican kid who would be eligible to play in MLB in 2029. A trainer paid $80,000 to his parents in 2023 to amp him up. That kid secured a pre-agreement of around $4 million, and now a percentage would be received by the trainer.

All these add up to the fact that kids in the Dominican Republic are doing anything and everything to secure an MLB deal. In doing so, they are either lying about their age or taking up PED substances to build up. The Reds recently reached a $2.8 million deal with 12-year-old outfielder Julio Ramos for the 2030 signing class. Then the Rangers made a $4 million agreement with 12-year-old Andel Pérez for the 2030 class.

The list is long, which is creating an unethical trend in these countries. However, for the Guardians, they are habituated to age fraud.

The Guardians are no strangers to these lies

This is not the first time that a Guardians player has lied about his age.

Remember Roberto Hernandez. He originally signed with the Indians (Guardians) as an amateur free agent out of the Dominican Republic. Later. It was reported that he used a falsified birth certificate. The documents claimed his name was Fausto Carmona and that he was born in 1983.

Then, in January 2012, he was arrested in the Dominican Republic for identity theft after attempting to renew his U.S. visa. It was revealed that his true name was Roberto Hernandez Heredia, and he was actually born in 1980, making him three years older than he had claimed.

Following his arrest and the revelation of his true identity, MLB officially issued him a three-week suspension for age and identity fraud in July 2012. 

Coincidentally, both Hernandez and the Guardians’ latest minor talent are both from the Dominican Republic. Countries like the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, and Mexico serve as the launchpads of the new baseball talents. Reportedly, during the 2024-2025 international signing period, a total of 464 players were signed. Among them, 209 were Venezuelans, and 201 were Dominicans.

So, securing an MLB contract has become a socio-economic factor in these countries. Teams like the Guardians, Phillies, and Reds are offering multi-million dollar deals, making things worse.