"Pirates outfielder Xavier Paul has become caught in the middle of an identity hoax that had officials with the Australian Baseball League expecting Paul's arrival at the start of their season, which began earlier this month.

Problem was, Paul had never actually agreed to go.

Multiple sources have confirmed that Paul's participation was promised by another player, determined to be Minor League outfielder Breland Brown, who most recently played in the D-backs' farm system. According to one source, who described the scheme as so intricate that it was "like a movie," Brown created fake IDs and misrepresented himself to the ABL and Major League Baseball. "