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In this week's The Insider FR, I'll break down two intriguing stories from the most recent MLB Draft, along with an in-depth look at how organizations structure deals to extend players and secure financial flexibility. We'll also examine the strategies clubs use to maximize value, manage risk, and position themselves for long-term success.

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The summer heat continues to blanket baseball fields around the world, but even the soaring temperatures haven’t slowed the international signing market. We’re back with another edition packed with news, notes, and behind the scenes information, much of it hidden beneath the spotlight of the MLB season, the FIFA World Cup, or simply never making its way into the public eye.

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Hua, 17, reached an agreement after the Phillies acquired an additional $250,000 in international bonus pool money from the Cleveland Guardians in a trade.

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We’re back with Insider FR. If you’re a new subscriber, this is a weekly section exclusively for paid readers where I explore three different topics, mostly centered on Major League Baseball, a beat I’ve covered for more than a decade. I always aim to include original reporting, and this week is no exception, with a look at an organization that continues to translate success on the field while operating with limited resources.

Also in this edition: the expected return timeline of a player who entered 2026 hoping to rebuild his value, but whose season has instead trended in the opposite direction.

Finally, I take a closer look at the progress of a top baseball prospect and his chances of continuing to make adjustments that will allow him to reach the highest level as prepared as possible.

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The signing ceremony took place in Taiwan and was attended by Yankees international scouting director Mario Garza and Matt Slater, who oversees the club’s scouting operations throughout Asia.

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It requires a tremendous amount of effort, but it is also a goal I set for myself in 2025. So far, I have been able to maintain the consistency that is often the most difficult part of any profession.

This month, we bring updates on the signings completed in May, the remaining international bonus pool for all 30 organizations, and a special analysis of the international signing period and how it has unfolded so far.

Let’s get started.

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Caribbean Baseball Academy (CBA), me dice Cubas, cuenta con mas de 20 jugadores internacionales que buscarán firmar en el futuro con organizaciones de MLB. “Este proyecto es algo que siempre he querido hacer y que no lo logre hacer la primera vez que estuve activo”, confiesa.

Luego de varios años en que personas de su confianza le insistían sobre esta idea, él se mantenía en negativa. Sin embargo, el renombrado ex agente decidió que volvería al juego para ayudar en la firma y desarrollo de jugadores jóvenes.

La principal academia actualmente se encuentra en Bejuma, Carabobo, Venezuela. Desde hace unos meses CBA también tienen un programa completo funcionando en la República Dominicana donde, Cubas ha incorporado varios jóvenes cubanos pertenecientes a las clases 2028 en adelante.

“Veo una necesidad grande sobre todo con los cubanos”, dice.

Todos los dias Cubas leia y le llegaban historias sobre las adversidades de las familias cubanas en República Dominicana. Muchas veces cuando los jugadores no tienen el talento para firmar, llevan mas de dos o tres años estancados en el proceso de una firma o simplemente ya no son rentables, son desalojados y puestos en la calle por inversionistas y personas del negocio. Eso ocurre desde hace muchos años ya y Cubas, una persona bien informada y con experiencia, lo conoce. Me confiesa sentado en el sofa de su residencia en Miami que ya ha tomado algunos casos de jugadores abandonados.

“Hay un vacío muy grande y una necesidad de personas establecidas en esta industria. Creo que llegó el momento de salir públicamente y decir qué es lo que no se está haciendo”.

La academia ya cuenta con una estructura de reclutadores, entrenadores de pitcheo, bateo y Cubas menciona que en el caso de que los jugadores no tengan talento o no puedan firmar por la via internacional trabajara en la idea de conseguirles becas universitarias en los Estados Unidos.

“Yo pensaba que se habian olvidado de mi nombre”

En la decada de los 90 tuvo clientes importantes en el mercado cubano, como Liván Hernández, Orlando Hernández, Rolando Arrojo y Danys Báez. Decidió terminar su carrera como agente alrededor del 2006, segùn dice, pasar mas tiempo con su familia y concentrarse en el negocio de bienes raíces.

“No pude disfrutar la juventud de mis hijos porque siempre estaba fuera”.

Cubas fue un actor importante en garantizar derechos a jugadores cubanos que emigraban lo mismo por mar que abandonando delegaciones en el extranjero. Uno de sus mejores momentos fue la salida de Orlando “El Duque” Hernández en diciembre de 1997, quien fue desde Bahamas hasta Costa Rica para luego firmar con los Yankees de New York.

Ahora en una nueva y muy distinta empresa, Cubas espera obtener nuevos éxitos como hizo hace mas de dos décadas en el beisbol como agente certificado. Las épocas han cambiado mucho sobre todo en la comunicación. “Casi todo el mundo tiene telefono y a traves de Whastapp se comunican con nosotros”, dice.

Desde la fundacion de J.Cubas Caribbean Baseball Academy en julio de 2025 tiene jugadores elegibles, es decir, para firmar en el actual periodo que culmina el 15 de diciembre de 2026, y talentos que firmaran en las clases 2026-2027 y hasta 2030.

“Cuando comenzamos no quise asumir casos de jugadores que tenian contratos anteriores con otras academias”, explica. Mientras conversa conmigo su academia organiza un showcase en Bejuma, Venezuela con jugadores de las clases 2028 a 2030 y espera acordar muy pronto a los primeros jugadores.

Como reportero de mas de 10 años, veo una desesperacion mucho mayor en los últimos 3 años en familias que quieren salir de Cuba junto a sus hijos, jugadores de apenas 11 o 12 años, y buscar un subsidio en alguna academia hasta poder firmar. Estos casos son inversiones de alto riesgo y muchisimo tiempo que no todas las personas de la industria estan dispuestas a realizar. Le pregunto a Cubas sobre que si ayudará de alguna manera a estos tipos de casos y me responde sin rodeos: “Con mucho gusto le puedes dar la informacion de la academia y nuestros contactos”.

La Caribbean Baseball Academy ya tiene 12 jugadores en la sede de Republica Dominicana y 14 en Venezuela y dice Cubas que no quisiera pasar de 30-35 jugadores entre las dos, porque cree que el personal que tienen puede atender a todos los talentos por igual.

“Aqui estamos hablando de muchas cosas, primero es el desarrollo, luego la parte legal entre visas y agencias libres y luego la parte de mostrarlos a las organizaciones de MLB”.

Cubas, como cuando estuvo en la cuspide de la representacion, tambien entiende que buscara ser una academia de excelencia en nutricion, trato, preparacion fisica, preparacion mental y la firma con sus contratos. “Mi objetivo en esto, como en todo lo que hago, es ser dentro de un año el mejor de los mejores”.

Joe dice que es muy malo para venderse a el mismo, solo espera que sus resultados hablen por si solos como ha sido a lo largo de toda su carrera.

¿Volverá como agente certificado de MLBPA?, le pregunto finalmente.

“Ya yo creo que ese barco salio del muelle”.

According to Cubas, Caribbean Baseball Academy (CBA) currently has more than 20 international prospects who aspire to sign with Major League Baseball organizations in the future.

“This is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Cubas said. “It’s a project I wasn’t able to accomplish during my first stint in the game.”

For years, trusted friends and associates encouraged him to pursue the idea, but he repeatedly declined. Eventually, however, the longtime baseball agent decided it was time to return and contribute once again to the identification, signing, and development of young talent.

Now, through CBA, Cubas hopes to use decades of experience and relationships throughout the baseball world to help guide the next generation of players as they pursue professional opportunities both on and off the field.

The academy’s primary facility is currently located in Bejuma, in Venezuela’s Carabobo state. In recent months, CBA has also established a full-scale program in the Dominican Republic, where Cubas has incorporated several young Cuban prospects from the 2028 international signing class and beyond.

“I see a tremendous need, especially when it comes to Cuban players,” Cubas said.

Every day, Cubas says, he would read and hear stories about the hardships faced by Cuban families in the Dominican Republic. In many cases, when players are deemed unlikely to sign, remain stuck in the signing process for two or three years, or are no longer viewed as worthwhile investments, they are abandoned by investors and others involved in the business. According to Cubas, the practice has been occurring for years, and as someone with extensive experience and deep knowledge of the industry, he is well aware of the problem.

Sitting in the living room of his Miami home, Cubas told me that he has already taken in several cases involving abandoned players.

“There is a huge void and a real need for established people in this industry to step up,” he said. “I think the time has come to speak publicly about what isn’t being done.”

The academy has already assembled a network of scouts, pitching instructors, and hitting coaches. Cubas added that for players who ultimately lack the talent to sign professionally or are unable to secure an international contract, he plans to help them pursue college scholarships in the United States.

“Our responsibility goes beyond baseball,” Cubas said. “If a player’s path doesn’t lead to professional baseball, we want to make sure he still has an opportunity to build a future through education.”

“I thought people had forgotten my name”

During the 1990s, Cubas represented some of the biggest names to emerge from the Cuban market, including Liván Hernández, Orlando Hernández, Rolando Arrojo, and Danys Báez. Around 2006, he decided to step away from the agent business, choosing instead to spend more time with his family and focus on his real estate ventures.

“I missed out on my children’s younger years because I was always on the road,” Cubas said.

Cubas played a key role in securing opportunities and rights for Cuban players who left the island, whether by sea or by defecting from national teams while abroad. One of the defining moments of his career came in December 1997, when Orlando “El Duque” Hernández departed from the Bahamas to Costa Rica before ultimately signing with the New York Yankees.

Now, in a new and very different project, Cubas hopes to achieve fresh success, much as he did more than two decades ago as a certified baseball agent. The landscape has changed dramatically, particularly when it comes to communication.

“Almost everyone has a phone now, and they communicate with us through WhatsApp,” he said.

Since the founding of J. Cubas Caribbean Baseball Academy in July 2025, the program has assembled a group of prospects that includes players currently eligible to sign during the international signing period that runs through December 15, 2026, as well as younger talent projected to sign in the 2026-27 classes and through 2030.

“When we got started, I didn’t want to take on players who already had previous agreements with other academies,” Cubas explained.

As he spoke with me, his academy was organizing a showcase in Bejuma, Venezuela, featuring prospects from the 2028 through 2030 international signing classes. Cubas said he expects the program to reach agreements involving its first players in the near future.

As a reporter with more than 10 years of experience, I have seen a much greater sense of urgency over the past three years among families seeking to leave Cuba with their children, players as young as 11 or 12 years old, and find support from an academy until they become eligible to sign.

These cases require high-risk investments and a long-term commitment that not everyone in the industry is willing to undertake. I asked Cubas whether he would be willing to help families facing those circumstances, and his response was straightforward.

“You can gladly give them the academy’s information and our contact details,” he said.

J. Cubas Caribbean Baseball Academy currently has 12 players at its Dominican Republic facility and 14 in Venezuela. Cubas said he does not want the total number of players between the two locations to exceed 30 to 35, believing that the academy’s staff can provide equal attention and development opportunities to every prospect in the program.

“Here we are talking about many things. First comes development, then the legal side involving visas and free agency, and finally the process of showcasing them to MLB organizations.”

Cubas, as he did during the peak of his career in player representation, also understands that he aims to build an academy of excellence focused on nutrition, player treatment, physical preparation, mental conditioning, and contract signing.

“My goal in this, as in everything I do, is to become the best of the best within a year,” he said.

Joe says he is not very good at selling himself and prefers to let his results speak for themselves, as they have throughout his career.

“Will you return as a certified MLBPA agent?” I asked him at the end of the conversation.

“That ship has already left the dock.”

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Also in this edition: several breaking news stories published my platforms, particularly involving MLB promotions, including the intriguing case of a pitcher from a country not traditionally known for producing major leaguers.

I’ll also take a closer look at one of the prospects who has made the biggest leap from 2025 to 2026, as well as several players who have recently changed agencies.

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Both players were members of Team Cuba at the U-18 World Cup in Okinawa, Japan, held in September 2025.

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Eom, 17, can run his fastball up to 95 mph while also showing an advanced contact bat and elite defense for his age.

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This week, I visited a university to cover the appointment of a former MLB manager. We also witnessed the remarkable rise of an overlooked left-handed pitcher who spent eight years fighting his way to the major leagues. And finally, I sat down with one of the most influential baseball agents of the 1990s, who is making his return to the industry.

But, first, a word from my editor.

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In last April’s edition, I discussed several key storylines surrounding the current 2025-2026 international period and today we’ll revisit some of those topics.

We’ll also take a look at several young players who participated in the MLB Showcase in Barcelona. A number of international directors and high-ranking personnel from different MLB departments attended the event, and today we’ll see how some of those European players have already secured agreements with MLB organizations.

Meanwhile, a Cuban prospect recently arrived in the Dominican Republic — perhaps the best player in the current 19-20 age group available during this international period. We’ll break down who he is and what makes him such an intriguing talent in this market.

Let’s get started.

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Junior Vizcaino was fired on August 23, 2024, due to low production. Between August and September of 2024, a total of five International Scouting Directors lost their jobs across the industry, including Vizcaino. He now remains in the game as a scout for the Los Angeles Angels. However, the very thing for which Vizcaino was dismissed has now begun to produce results. The important part of his story is that when you build the right foundation, sooner or later, the results come. “Bottom line is we felt like to get better in this space and to produce more, it was time to make a change,” general manager Ben Cherington told reporters following that decision. In recent months, that same Cherington has called up four players scouted by Vizcaino.

Organizations such as the Mets, Marlins, Nationals, Pirates, and White Sox decided to rethink the direction of their international scouting departments, removing five international directors between August and September 2024. When the news became public, the reactions on social media toward Vizcaino were not fair.

Most fans in the Pittsburgh area attributed the limited impact of his signings to their lack of MLB contributions. In short, very few players reached the majors during the nearly seven-year period since he took over as International Director in 2017.

Become a paid subscriber to receive our weekly newsletter: here’s the latest issue.

However, baseball is always an unpredictable, ever-changing, and intangible game. By the middle of the 2026 season, while Vizcaino was working with the Angels, the accumulated results of years of work began to surface, with a wave of five players promoted to MLB within a span of a couple of months.

I spoke with Vizcaino recently over Zoom and wanted to hear his perspective on what happened and his current work. Regarding his dismissal from the Pirates, he told me:

“It was a big surprise because the work we were doing didn’t deserve what happened. According to the press release, they let me go due to low production, both me and Luis Silverio,” he said.

Silverio served as Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations. He has more than 40 years of experience in baseball, having worked in front offices, coaching staffs, and scouting departments. Luis was an MLB player with the Kansas City Royals in 1978.

By the time of his departure as Pirates international director, only infielder/outfielder Ji-Hwan Bae and right-handed pitcher Luis Ortiz had reached MLB. However, more than a dozen players signed during that period were either used as trade assets or selected in the Rule 5 Draft in December by other clubs.

Still, from late 2025 through May 2026, a total of five players scouted under Vizcaino’s leadership and his scouting staff have made their way to MLB contributions.

Vizcaino explains how he had to build the Pirates’ system from the ground up. Beyond addressing structural and operational challenges, he also focused on the intangible side: developing scouts with a clear philosophy for talent evaluation while also contributing across minor league systems and, ultimately, at the MLB level.

“I had a young scouting staff,” he said.

He and Luis Silverio spent significant time mentoring and training young scouts who joined the organization. One of the key differences he highlights is that organizations that dismissed international directors during that same August–September 2024 period also tended to part ways with their scouting staff. In Pittsburgh’s case, that did not happen, the only departures were Vizcaino and Silverio. According to him, that reflects positively on the work they did, since many of those evaluators, whether in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, or elsewhere, were developed under their guidance.

“I used to watch talent videos and form my own opinion, but I wouldn’t impose it,” he added. “I let the scouts speak freely, and that helped build leadership so they could develop their own voices and improve.”

Whenever players were scouted, whether at showcases or tournaments, the group would meet afterward and spend hours discussing evaluations before reaching any decision.

“When we decided to sign a player, we didn’t take long,” he said.

That was the case with Esmerlyn Valdez, a power-hitting outfielder who, after being promoted, hit his first MLB home run this Sunday, May 24, in Toronto.

“I am very proud of the work and my scouting team did with Esmerlyn”, Vizcaino said when I asked him about the recently promoted talent.

With a smile on his face, Junior admits that he often reflects on the work he and his staff did with the players.

“When scouting Esmerlyn with had to project his ability and tools because the finished player you are seeing now is far from the young man we scouted”.

Vizcaino and his group first saw Valdez, now nicknamed “The Magician”, at a tournament in the United States. They then evaluated him a second time at the Pirates academy in the Dominican Republic.

“What impressed me most about him was that he hit in games, and that’s what I told Luis,” he said, referring to Luis Silverio, who at the time served as Senior Advisor of Latin American Operations. He was struck by how much better Valdez hit in games compared to batting practice. When asked why that often happens, Vizcaino explained:

“Pitch velocity varies a lot,” he said.

That observation led him to believe that Valdez’s ability to perform against live pitching was legitimate and that he had a real chance to progress through the system.

Junior Vizcaino, 61, currently works as a crosschecker for the Los Angeles Angels. He operates between the amateur and international scouting sectors, overseeing the high-level responsibility of evaluating players projected to be top selections in the MLB Draft.

His manner of speaking is calm and humble. He does not appear to hold much resentment about what happened in the past and remains focused on his current role with the Angels.

Vizcaino is a former minor league player drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 14th round of the 1987 Draft. He was a tall first baseman—6-foot-5—with power during the early years of his career between 1987 and 1988. However, after reaching Double-A around 1990, he exited the MLB system and began his scouting career with the Atlanta Braves in 1994, where he worked until 2000. He later moved to the Kansas City Royals and, in 2007, was promoted to National Scouting Supervisor. After a short yet successful stint as a Global Crosschecker with the Boston Red Sox, where he was instrumental in the signings of Ceddanne Rafaela and Brayan Bello, he returned to Pittsburgh, this time as International Director in December 2017.

Pirates general manager Ben Cherington later acknowledged Vizcaino’s work shortly after his dismissal:

“I think Junior is really a hard-working, loyal, proud scout who worked really hard for the Pirates,” Cherington said. “He did some things really well and came into a situation prior to me being here that needed attention and credibility, and he brought that attention and credibility.”

Life for the 61-year-old scout is now different. He is no longer a director nor responsible for overseeing hundreds of scouting operations. Instead, he travels across the country evaluating top talent for the 2026 MLB Draft. These days, more than ever, he is fully immersed in that role. He no longer seems concerned with the negative commentary that followed his tenure in Pittsburgh.

“People have to say something, because if they were telling the truth, I would still be there. We worked with integrity and never embarrassed the organization, we built a group that is still in place today.”

Many more prospects are still on the way, and talent evaluation remains as unpredictable as the players themselves. From Vizcaíno’s era, several prospects are currently ranked among the top 30 in the system, including Edward Florentino, Yordany De Los Santos, Tony Blanco Jr., and the flame-throwing Antwone Kelly, all of whom are progressing steadily toward the Major Leagues.

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This week I have four stories. A Dominican right-hander makes his climb to Houston. A Nicaraguan pitcher, one strike away from a World Baseball Classic upset, finds his way back into affiliated ball. A Pittsburgh outfielder is set to make his MLB debut. And a Cuban teenager arrives in the Dominican Republic, quietly becoming one of the most watched names left on the international market.

Let’s get into them.

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El slugger cubano de los Houston Astros y uno de los mejores bateadores de MLB, Yordan Álvarez, ganó nuevamente una demanda arbitral en la República Dominicana.

Álvarez, de 28 años, junto a su equipo de abogados, ganó el caso de demanda arbitral interpuesto por el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona en su contra.

Azcona demandó nuevamente a Álvarez en septiembre de 2025, alegando incumplimiento de contrato y afirmando que no había recibido un supuesto porcentaje de dinero correspondiente a la firma del pelotero Yordan Álvarez.

En su demanda, Azcona alegaba que el jugador cubano supuestamente violó lo pactado entre ellos y, en consecuencia, exigía el pago de 46 millones de dólares, es decir, el 40% de su segundo contrato profesional, el cual tiene un valor de $115,000 millones con los Astros y que finaliza luego de la temporada 2028.

Sin embargo, Álvarez demostró en corte una vez más que no guarda vínculo contractual con el Sr. Azcona y que cumplió a cabalidad el compromiso contractual y monetario que existía entre ambos, demostrando más allá de toda duda razonable que el contrato utilizado por Azcona se encuentra totalmente extinguido por haberse ejecutado en su totalidad.

En ese sentido, el tribunal arbitral, luego de comprobar la inexistencia de compromiso contractual ni económico por parte de Yordan Álvarez frente al Sr. Azcona, rechazó en todas sus partes las pretensiones del demandante.

Manuel Azcona fue lanzador en Ligas Menores entre 1981 y 1984, según el portal Baseball-Reference. Registró marca de 0-2 con 9.68 de efectividad durante cuatro temporadas en las organizaciones de Pittsburgh Pirates y Montreal Expos. Nunca pasó del nivel Clase A.

Lo que fue una carrera discreta como beisbolista se potenció a inicios de los años 2000 como manejador de peloteros. Azcona obtuvo ingresos significativos durante esos años con la firma de varios talentos cubanos en organizaciones de Grandes Ligas. Uno de ellos fue Juan Miguel Miranda, quien en diciembre de 2006 firmó con los New York Yankees por cuatro años y dos millones de dólares.

Sin embargo, no toda la carrera de Azcona ha sido favorable. Purgó alrededor de 10 meses de prisión en Cuba a mediados de los 2000, acusado de tráfico ilegal de peloteros. En el libro Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime, del ex investigador de MLB Eddie Domínguez, se describe al personaje: «También encontré que Azcona es una serpiente, aunque interesante».

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Azcona fungió como representante de Yordan desde su salida de Cuba en 2015, conjuntamente con el entrenador Aldo Marrero. Este último supervisó desde su academia la firma de Álvarez con los Los Angeles Dodgers, previamente acordando el porcentaje correspondiente para cada uno.

Una vez firmado Yordan en 2016, el esquema de corrupción atribuido a Azcona para manejar el acuerdo con Álvarez consistió en ceder su porcentaje a una tercera persona mediante pagaré notarial y cesión de crédito, bajo el alegato de que le debía todos sus porcentajes a dicha persona, según documentos de corte a los que tuve acceso.

Azcona autorizó a la tercera persona a cobrar en nombre de Yordan en el mismo banco BHD. Sin embargo, una vez ejecutado el cobro, posteriormente alegó no haber autorizado el pago de sus porcentajes a ninguna persona.

De esa forma inició su disputa contra Yordan desde 2016, alegando no haber recibido pago alguno. En ese entonces, trabó un embargo retentivo contra Álvarez, logrando un pago adicional en calidad de préstamo por 100 mil dólares, más 10 mil dólares al abogado notario de Santiago, Juan Carlos Ortiz, para la elaboración de recibos de descargo que nunca fueron emitidos. Posteriormente, tras ese acuerdo de préstamo que nunca fue devuelto, volvió a imponer un embargo retentivo contra Álvarez, quien procedió a apoderar a sus abogados para su defensa, los cuales solicitaron el levantamiento del embargo por carecer de base legal.

Álvarez fue favorecido por sentencia con el levantamiento del embargo, luego de demostrarse que no existía deuda pendiente ni compromiso contractual con el Sr. Azcona, y que además había sido pagada la suma de $480,000 a un tercero previamente aprobado por el propio Azcona.

Esto ocurrió en 2019.

Aproximadamente tres años después, Azcona volvió con una demanda por 46 millones de dólares, la cual fue rechazada en todas sus partes por improcedente, mal fundada y carente de base legal, luego de que Yordan Álvarez demostrara nuevamente que no existía vínculo contractual entre las partes.

Estas acciones legales post-contrato son relativamente frecuentes en la República Dominicana.

El abogado de Yordan Álvarez, Lic. Oscar Batista, señala que el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona se habría dedicado, durante el curso de los distintos procesos judiciales emprendidos, a gestionar préstamos con inversionistas en la República Dominicana y en la ciudad de Miami, bajo un esquema estructurado de promesas de pago con elevados intereses, condicionados al eventual resultado favorable de las demandas interpuestas.

Según indica, en la más reciente de dichas acciones judiciales se reclamaba la suma de 46 millones de dólares contra Yordan Álvarez, pretensión que finalmente fue rechazada.

En ese contexto, el abogado de Yordan Álvarez, Lic. Oscar Batista, advirtió que, de persistir el Sr. Manuel Antonio Azcona en la interposición de acciones que considera temerarias e infundadas, se verán en la imperiosa necesidad de iniciar las acciones judiciales correspondientes, orientadas a procurar la reparación integral de los daños y perjuicios ocasionados al pelotero Yordan Álvarez.

En diciembre de 2021, la Embajada de los Estados Unidos de América en la República Dominicana, mediante la nota diplomática núm. 2021-1258, solicitó al Gobierno dominicano la entrega en extradición del nacional dominicano Manuel Azcona, por cargos relacionados con la acusación formal por “asociación delictuosa para distribuir cocaína”.

Azcona permanece hasta el día de hoy en territorio de la República Dominicana, tras haber cumplido varios años de prisión en la ciudad de Miami.

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Cuban slugger, one of MLB’s premier hitters and a star for the Houston Astros, has once again prevailed in an arbitration lawsuit filed against him in the Dominican Republic.

Álvarez, 28, along with his legal team, won the arbitration case brought by Manuel Antonio Azcona, who had once again sued the Cuban star in September 2025, alleging breach of contract. Azcona claimed he had not received a supposed percentage of the money tied to Álvarez’s professional signing agreements.

In the lawsuit, to which I had access in order to review the court documents, Azcona argued that Álvarez had violated the terms of their alleged agreement and therefore demanded $46 million, equivalent to 40% of Álvarez’s second professional contract with Houston, valued at $115 million and running through the 2028 season.

However, Álvarez once again proved in court that he holds no contractual relationship with Azcona and that he had fully complied with every financial and contractual obligation that had previously existed between them. His legal team demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that the agreement cited by Azcona had already been completely fulfilled and extinguished.

After reviewing the evidence and confirming that Álvarez had no remaining contractual or financial obligations toward Azcona, the arbitration tribunal dismissed all claims brought against the Astros slugger.

According to Baseball-Reference, Manuel Azcona pitched in Minor League Baseball from 1981 to 1984. He posted a 0-2 record with a 9.68 ERA over four seasons in the organizations of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Montreal Expos, never advancing beyond Class A.

While his playing career was relatively unremarkable, Azcona later became a successful baseball agent and handler of Cuban players during the early 2000s, earning substantial money through the signings of several Cuban prospects with Major League organizations. One of the most notable cases was Juan Miranda, who signed a four-year, $2 million contract with the New York Yankees in December 2006.

Still, Azcona’s career has not been without controversy. He reportedly served around 10 months in prison in Cuba during the mid-2000s on accusations related to the illegal trafficking of baseball players. In the book Baseball Cop: The Dark Side of America’s National Pastime, former MLB investigator Eddie Domínguez described Azcona by writing: “I also found Azcona to be a snake, though an interesting one.”

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Azcona served as Álvarez’s representative after the player left Cuba in 2015, alongside trainer Aldo Marrero. Marrero later supervised Álvarez’s signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers through his academy, with both men allegedly agreeing beforehand on their respective percentages.

According to court documents that I had access to, the corruption scheme allegedly used by Azcona to deceive Álvarez involved assigning his percentage rights to a third party through a notarized promissory note and credit assignment, claiming he owed all of his shares to that individual.

Azcona allegedly authorized the third party to collect payment from Álvarez through BHD Bank. After the transaction was completed, Azcona later claimed he had never authorized payment of his percentage to anyone else.

That move marked the beginning of a years-long legal battle against Álvarez dating back to 2016. At the time, Azcona filed a garnishment order against the player and secured an additional payment of $100,000 labeled as a loan money that was allegedly never repaid, plus another $10,000 paid to Santiago-based attorney and notary Juan Carlos Ortiz to prepare liability release documents that were reportedly never produced.

For paid subscribers: The “best talent still remaining in Cuba” left the island.

Despite that prior agreement, Azcona later filed another garnishment action against Álvarez, prompting the player to formally retain legal counsel. Álvarez’s attorneys successfully petitioned the court to dismiss the seizure order, arguing it lacked legal basis and factual merit.

In 2019, the court ruled in Álvarez’s favor and ordered the garnishment lifted after it was proven that no outstanding debt or contractual obligation existed between the player and Azcona. The court also confirmed that Álvarez had already paid $480,000 to a third party previously approved by Azcona himself.

Roughly three years later, Azcona returned with a new $46 million lawsuit, which was again dismissed in its entirety as groundless, unfounded, and lacking legal merit after Álvarez demonstrated that no contractual relationship existed between the two parties.

Post-contract lawsuits of this nature are reportedly common in the Dominican Republic.

Attorney Oscar Batista, who represents Álvarez, stated that Azcona spent years obtaining loans from investors in the Dominican Republic under a structured scheme, allegedly promising substantial returns if he were to win the $46 million claim against the Astros star.

In that context, Batista warned that if Mr. Manuel Antonio Azcona continues filing what he considers frivolous and unfounded legal actions, they will be compelled to pursue the appropriate legal measures aimed at seeking full compensation for the damages caused to Yordan Álvarez.

In December 2021, the United States Embassy in the Dominican Republic, through diplomatic note No. 2021-1258, formally requested the extradition of Dominican national Manuel Azcona to face charges in the United States related to “conspiracy to distribute cocaine.”

Azcona later served prison time in Miami and currently resides in the Dominican Republic.

Sanchez was considered the best talent still remaining in Cuba, featuring 60-70 grade power on the 80-grade scouting scale.

This is a developing story and I will be updating it later today.

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