ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) A person with direct knowledge of the deal says the Texas Rangers have signed free-agent shortstop Yenci Pena, one of the players taken from the Atlanta Braves as punishment for circumventing international signing rules.
The agreement comes after the Rangers missed out on Japanese star Shohei Ohtani, who chose the Los Angeles Angels on Friday. The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been announced.
The Rangers had one of the largest amounts of international bonus money for the pursuit of Ohtani at more than $3.5 million. They can spend that money on other international players.
Pena is from the Dominican Republic and was among 13 prospects the Braves lost when former general manager John Coppolella was banned for life by Major League Baseball last month. MLB said the Braves funneled extra signing bonus money to players through deals with other players.
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