The Boston Red Sox have reportedly been banned from signing international players in 2016-17 due to violations of signing-bonus rules.
ESPN's Buster Olney was the first to report the news Friday, and Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports confirmed the report.
Per Passan, Boston will be forced to relinquish the rights of outfielders Albert Guaimaro and Simon Muzziotti, infielders Antonio Pinero and Eduardo Torrealba and right-handed pitcher Cesar Gonzalez, and the players will all become free agents.
Passan also reported that the Red Sox were only allowed to spend $300,000 on international prospects last year, but they circumvented that limit by manipulating the manner in which the money was distributed.
The Red Sox have been among MLB's biggest players in the international market in recent years. They signed Cuban infielder Yoan Moncada to a $31.5 million deal last year andsigned Cuban outfielder Rusney Castillo to a $72.5 million contract in 2014.
Taking Boston out of the equation could be a major coup for other big-market clubs such as the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, as they figure to have less competition in their pursuit of highly touted international players.
Losing out on a year of picking up international prospects could be a blow to Boston's organizational depth, but having already been ranked as boasting the No. 5 system in all of Major League Baseball by Baseball Prospectus, the Red Sox are a team that may be capable of absorbing the discipline.
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