Report: MLB investigating Red Sox for international signings

The Boston Red Sox are under investigation by Major League Baseball for their 2015 signings on the international market, reports Ben Badler of Baseball America, citing sources.

The Red Sox may have tried to circumvent MLB's international bonus pools by signing Venezuelan players to "package deals" in 2015, which Badler describes as a way to get around the restrictions of bonus pools when signing players from the same trainer.

Organizations can use package deals to overpay players who are exempt from the bonus pools in order to pay less for a player who is subject to the pools. The players then split the cash accordingly after the deals are signed.

That type of deal, which predates bonus pools, isn't explicitly forbidden, and the commissioner's office said the league has never punished a team for a package deal.

Badler's sources told him MLB officials questioned the Venezuelan players - most of whom were 16-17 years old and without representation - individually about being part of a package deal and threatened them with suspension if they lied.

"They put a lot of pressure on them, like they were criminals," a source told Badler. "They're trying to put pressure on the kids to talk to them."

An MLB official confirmed players were questioned, but denied they were threatened with suspensions.

Boston wasn't allowed to sign any player subject to international bonus pools for more than $300,000 during the 2015-16 signing period because of a penalty they incurred for exceeding their bonus pool in the previous signing period.