It is not new information that the International Free Agent world is rife with corruption, fraud, and adults using children to make big money. There’s a lot of good in the system – life-changing money for players and families, a tremendous opportunity for some players who might not otherwise have much, etc. – but I’ve gotta believe the league will finally address it in the current Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations. Whether that finally means an international draft, or just more clean-up of a system that incentivizes handshake deals with 13-year-olds, remains to be seen. I’m not looking to take money away from players, but something has to change.
Probably not hurting the cause of those who want to see significant reform? An outrageous report from ESPN about a teenager whose $2.8 million handshake bonus agreement with the Guardians was revoked after it was revealed that he was older than his handlers said.
A Dominican prospect who got a $2.8M pre-deal was found to be two years older, part of an elaborate age-fraud plot that involved a fake identity, a fake death & a fake tombstone. More on his story, a glaring example of a market rife with corruption … t.co/ngddDbXy1K
— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 28, 2026You mostly have to just read this thing for yourself to see how outlandish it was, but here’s a snippet:
“Severino’s real name is Daury David Severino Damaso, according to sources. He is actually 16 years old, born on April 2, 2010. In 2023, sources familiar with the investigation said, Francisco Nieves, Severino’s trainer at the time, allegedly created the identity of David Severino Damaso, who was purportedly Daury’s younger brother, with the approval of the player’s parents. A fake, late-filed birth registration was made under that name showing a birthdate of Dec. 20, 2011. Falsified medical and school records were also allegedly taken out under David’s name.
From that point on, Daury Severino Damaso became David Severino Damaso.
Two years after the birth registration had been made, according to sources, a fraudulent death certificate was filed for Daury. It said he had died of a respiratory illness on May 5, 2012, two years after he was born. A fake tombstone was created and planted in a gravesite in La Romana, a municipality on the southeastern part of the Dominican Republic, 75 miles from the capital of Santo Domingo.”
THEY MADE A FAKE GRAVESITE. THERE WAS A FAKE TOMBSTONE!
The story is utterly insane, but then you think about how much money is at stake and you realize there are substantial incentives to lie and create a fictitious universe to support the lie. Read the whole report at ESPN.
Mostly I feel terrible for the kids in these situations. They’re 12 or 13 years old, being guided by adults they trust, and may not even have a remote awareness of exactly what’s happening. And now, in a case like this, the player not only loses his would-have-been bonus, but he also gets suspended.
Hence then, the article about a bonkers ifa story involving a fake gravesite is the latest black eye for an ugly system was published today ( ) and is available on Bleacher Nation ( Middle East ) The editorial team at PressBee has edited and verified it, and it may have been modified, fully republished, or quoted. You can read and follow the updates of this news or article from its original source.
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