MLB investigation into Aledmys Diaz ongoing

Almost a month has gone by, but the MLB investigation into the age of Cuban infielder Aledmys Diaz is still ongoing, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America:

Major League Baseball's investigation into the age of Cuban shortstop Aledmys Diaz is still ongoing, according to multiple sources.

Diaz, who is represented by Jaime Torres, has been presenting himself as a 23-year-old born on Jan. 8, 1990, which would make him exempt from the international bonus pools.

The young shortstop's age has been called into question because of articles from several Cuban media outlets that list him as being at least a year younger than stated in the official documentation he sent to the league when applying for free agency.

According to Badler, one article on the top Cuban league's website from December 2007 lists Diaz's birthday as August 1, 1990, the inverse of the date he submitted to MLB. Other sources have listed him as young as 21.

The importance of determining Diaz's actual age -- other than the moral dilemmas involved -- is that Cuban defectors with three years of pro ball under their belt who are 23 or older are given special exemption from the new CBA's international spending limits. This would allow teams to bid freely on Diaz and not worry about all the other international players they might want to sign this year.

If it is deemed that Diaz has falsified his age to the league, he will likely be made ineligible to sign with a big-league club for a year. The irony there being that he would then probably be 23 (again) when he hits free agency.