The bad week for the Los Angeles Dodgers continues. After the team lost the Work Series to the Red Sox last weekend, the Dodgers has been involved in a Department of Justice investigation in the possible corruption act which involves recruiting Cuban born baseball players about the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), says a new report by Sports Illustrated. The organization, as is being reported, is now reportedly given the required documents to the FBI.
The FCPA considers an act of bribing foreign officials as illegal even if it is lawful and being exercised in a country. To top it all, the possibility of illegal Cuban born baseball players smuggling might overlap the grand jury which has already started in relation to recruiting Cuban player, infielder Hector Olivera who signed a six-year deal worth $62.5 million with the Dodgers in the year 2015. The last professional baseball game he played was in the year 2017.
The other Cuban player, Pablo Fernandez, who signed an $8 million bonus amount with the Dodgers is mentioned in several time in the documents. Fernandez was also renounced from his citizenship just before the Dodgers signed a deal with him which sheds light as to why the Dodgers was the interest target of the Department of Justice. The Dodgers’ have not commented anything on the matter as of now.
Although there was a lot of difficulties to have a visa sanctioned for Fernandez as well as the $ million bonus deal, Pablo still arrived at the pitch in fifteen minor games and later was released in March. Perhaps, Cuban Yasiel Puig was the biggest star player of the season for the Dodgers where the team appeared in three games of the final prize. However, it was difficult to handle the less significant Cuban import may pose a stain which sticks with the team even after its World Series loss is kept aside.
