Dominican teens sue LA Angels, alleging team broke deal

By MARTÍN JOSÉ ADAMES
Associated Press

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Two baseball players in the Dominican Republic have sued the Los Angeles Angels, charging the team breached verbal signing agreements made when they were young teenagers. The lawsuit says Angels representatives committed in 2018 when the boys were 14 to reaching a formal contract in mid-2020, when they would be old enough to sign a deal under Dominican law. It charges the club did not produce contracts by the new date. Informal agreements between professional clubs and people under age 16 are prohibited in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and other countries in the region, but people in the business say the practice is common. A Dominican court has scheduled a hearing for Oct. 30. The Angels have declined to comment on the matter.