Report: MLB investigating Braves' signing of prospect Maitan

Major League Baseball is reportedly investigating the Atlanta Braves' signing of top prospect Kevin Maitan, who was inked to a $4.25-million deal from Venezuela in July 2016, sources told Yahoo Sports' Jeff Passan.

The report comes mere hours after the announcement that Braves general manager John Coppolella resigned due to a breach of international signing rules.

If the investigation discovers any wrongdoings with Maitan's signing, his contract could be terminated, allowing him to become a free agent, Passan adds.

A source told Passan that, prior to signing with Atlanta, Maitan was living in a two-bedroom Florida apartment with another player the Braves also eventually signed. It isn't clear, however, if the organization was paying for either player's stay in the U.S.

After signing Maitan last season, Coppolella raved about his club landing one of the brightest up-and-coming Latin American stars at the time.

"From what our scouts say, (Maitan is) the best player to come out of Latin America in the last 10 years," Coppolella said. "It’s so hard to find offense in this game, as we’ve seen, and he has a chance to be a really special player."

Maitan, a 17-year-old shortstop, is Atlanta's fifth-best prospect and ranks 38th overall in the major leagues, according to MLB Pipeline. In 42 rookie-level games this season, he slashed .241/.290/.340 with eight doubles and two home runs in both the Appalachian League and Gulf Coast League.