The Cleveland Guardians have found themselves at the center of the wildest story of the 2026 MLB season—one that involves a fake identity, a fake death, and a tombstone that was never meant to be real.
Back in December, the Guardians inked a deal with a prospect they believed was just 13 or 14 years old, handing over a $2.8 million signing bonus. But the excitement quickly turned to shock when the team learned the player was actually two years older—and that his entire identity was built on a lie.
The prospect, originally known as David Severino, turned out to be Daury David Severino Damas. According to an MLB investigation, Damas was part of an elaborate age-fraud plot that included a fake birth certificate, falsified medical and school records, and even a fraudulent death certificate for his own original identity.
As reported by ESPN's Alden Gonzalez, the scheme began in 2023 when Francisco Nieves, Damas's trainer at the time, allegedly created the identity of David Severino Damaso—a supposed younger brother—with the approval of the player's parents. A late-filed birth registration was made under that name, claiming a birthdate of December 20, 2011. From there, Damas began living as David, while a fake death certificate was filed for Daury, stating he had died of a respiratory illness on May 5, 2012—two years after his birth. To seal the deal, a fake tombstone was placed in a cemetery in La Romana, a municipality in the Dominican Republic, 75 miles from the capital.
The Guardians terminated the agreement once the truth came to light, but the damage was done. The story has ignited a firestorm among baseball fans, many of whom are calling for major changes to the international signing system.
“The international signing system in MLB is just hilariously broken and stupid. 13 year olds being promised millions of dollars, except some of them aren’t 13 and there’s no great way to verify who is and isn’t immediately. Change is needed so bad,” one fan wrote on social media.
Another fan echoed the sentiment: “This happens more than we think.”
But not everyone places the blame solely on the player. “The villain in this story is not the broke 17 year old who pretended to be 14, it’s a system that encourages seven-figure handshake agreements with tweens,” a third fan commented.
The scandal has also drawn comparisons to other recent controversies in the sports world, including the Browns' quarterback saga that has left Cleveland fans frustrated. While that situation is about a veteran player's off-field issues, the Guardians' case highlights a deeper problem in how MLB scouts and signs international talent.
As the investigation continues, the question remains: will this be the wake-up call that forces MLB to overhaul its international signing process? For now, the league is left to grapple with a scandal that feels more like a Hollywood script than a baseball story.
This isn't the first time a sports story has taken a bizarre turn, but it's certainly one for the books. The Guardians, meanwhile, are left to pick up the pieces and move forward, hoping their next big signing doesn't come with a tombstone attached.
