Baseball

• Mind the gap [David Ortiz expects arbitration hearing, not settlement, with Red Sox].
• Baseball agency and marketing agency join forces [Legacy Sport Group and The Agency Sports Management Merge to Form The Legacy Agency].
• Still a possibility that Arn Tellem leaves the agent biz [Sorting through potential Dodgers bidders].
• Boras wins with his patient approach [Tigers offer 'lifeboat' to Prince Fielder].

Sports Law

• “The agent epidemic isn’t abating and no university with premier players is immune” [Refereeing sports agents].

Sports Business

• Let’s see if some of our content gets rolled into the USA TODAY network [USA TODAY Sports Media Group Acquires Big Lead Sports Digital Property and Fantasy Sports Ventures].
• Read of the week regarding IMG Worldwide and Teddy Forstmann [Machiavelli and Mogul].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (1/27/2012) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Baseball

• If he wins the bidding war, he could take Arn Tellem out of the agent biz [Hedge-fund executive Steven Cohen is bidding for the Dodgers].
• Scott Boras is making his pitch for 39-year-old Jason Varitek [Red Sox can often be late risers in roster moves].

Football

• Peter Schaffer’s new firm [JR Announces Official Deal with Authentic Athletix].
• Leigh Steinberg reportedly owes a lot of money to various entities [Real-Life ‘Jerry Maguire’ Facing Jail Over Debts?].
• Maybe Steinberg doesn’t think the general public should be concerned with his issue, but it is certainly a noteworthy subject for this site’s readers [Legendary Agent Leigh Steinberg Responds To Unpaid Debt Charges].
• Hard to believe that Jason Babin only has $5.5 million guaranteed on his 5-year contract [Making a list: best and worst of 2011 contracts].
• More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed since July 2011 [For N.F.L., Concussion Suits May Be Test for Sport Itself].

Basketball

• Arn Tellem and Dan Fegan listed in the “supporting cast” [What Really Happened In The Chris Paul Fiasco].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (12/30/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

With speculation circling that Matt Kemp will sign a 8-year $160 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers and an ESPN report stating that the Dodgers and Kemp’s agent are “moving in a positive direction and that he is optimistic an agreement will be reached,” I started thinking about some comments that Kemp’s agent, Dave Stewart, made to the media in the past.  Whereas this week, Stewart is talking about positive and productive discussions with the Dodgers, little over a year ago, Stewart’s tone was quite the opposite.

On August 21, 2010, T.J. Simers of the Los Angeles Times wrote an article titled, “Matt Kemp’s agent is an albatross around his neck.”  The title is mild compared to the first sentence of the piece, which reads, “Matt Kemp has a problem, one as big as his own half-hearted play at times and inability to hit an outside pitch — his agent Dave Stewart.”  Simers alleged that Stewart wrote the following to the LA Times: “Do you think for one moment I care about the town of L.A. or the fans there?”

I have a feeling that Stewart’s attitude has changed, with the Dodgers contemplating giving Kemp a hefty contract offer.

Matt Kemp May Have 160 Million Reasons To Care About The Town Of L.A. from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Travis Schlichting was originally selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2003 First-Year Player Draft.  He was the 98th overall pick of that draft.  Martin helped Schlichting negotiate the largest signing bonus in the round he was selected.  Schlichting was traded to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2005, was released by the team in 2007, and then picked up by the Dodgers in the same year.

Schlichting was a third baseman when he first entered professional baseball.  He was converted to a pitcher when he played Independent Ball between being released by the Angels and picked up by the Dodgers.  Octagon hopes that his slick mullet helps Schlichting pick his game up to the next level this year.

On To The Next One: Travis Schlichting from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

1. Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals) – Boras Corp. – Interesting to note that Bud Selig referred to Harper as an outfielder even though he has played mostly catcher his entire life.  Get this kid on the fast track through the Minors.
2. Jameson Tallion (Pittsburgh Pirates) – Hendricks Sports Management – Big high school arm clocked as high as 99 mph.
3. Manny Machado (Baltimore Orioles) – Boras Corp. - Hard to see Machado passing up signing to go play at Florida International University.  Interesting that FIU is his college commitment.
4. Christian Colon (Kansas City Royals) – Boras Corp. – Yesterday, I had reported that the Royals wanted to sign Yasmani Grandal.  Perhaps his price tag was too high.
5. Drew Pomeranz (Cleveland Indians) - Beverly Hills Sports Council – He was drafted in the 12th round out of high school.
6. Barret Loux (Arizona Diamondbacks) – SFX – Jumped up boards a lot recently.
7. Matt Harvey (New York Mets) – Boras Corp. – 4th Boras client selected in the top 7 picks.
8. Delino Deshields Jr. (Houston Astros) – Wasserman Media Group
9. Karsten Whitson (San Diego Padres) - SFX – Committed to my alma mater, the University of Florida.
10. Michael Choice (Oakland Athletics) – Franklin-Frye Sports – Went undrafted out of high school.
11. Deck McGuire (Toronto Blue Jays) – SFX – Also undrafted out of high school.
12. Yasmani Grandal (Cincinnati Reds) – Legacy Sports Group – Slipped because of signability issues.
13. Chris Sale (Chicago White Sox) – Jet Sports Management – Didn’t play at a major school (Florida Gulf Coast University), but put up great numbers there and played very well in Cape Cod last summer.
14. Dylan Covey (Milwaukee Brewers) – Wasserman Media Group
15. Jake Skole (Texas Rangers) – Unknown – Won’t be compensated if they don’t sign this pick (most likely why Skole was taken here).
16. Hayden Simpson (Chicago Cubs) - Hendricks Sports Management – Great numbers this past year in Division II baseball.
17. Josh Sale (Tampa Bay Rays) – Creative Artists Agency – Don’t worry, different advisors than the people at CAA who have to worry about where LeBron will play.
18. Kaleb Cowart (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – SFX – Boras Corp. has higher drafted clients, but at this point of the draft, SFX and Boras tied in number of players picked.
19. Michael Foltynewicz (Houston Astros) – Octagon
20. Kolbrin Vitek (Boston Red Sox) – Pro Star Management - Joe Bick also represents Kevin Youkilis, one of my favorite players.
21. Alex Wimmers (Minnesota Twins) – ACES – Undrafted out of high school.
22. Kellin Deglan (Texas Rangers) – Double Diamond Sports Management – Canadian catcher committed to Florida International University with Manny Machado.
23. Christian Yelich (Florida Marlins) – Creative Artists Agency – Committed to the University of Miami, so he will be in the state of Florida no matter what.
24. Gary Brown (San Francisco Giants) – Boras Corp. – And Boras re-gains the lead in clients selected with a total of 5 at this point.
25. Zack Cox (St. Louis Cardinals) – SFX – A draft-eligible sophomore.
26. Kyle Parker (Colorado Rockies) – Career Sports Entertainment – Also the quarterback for Clemson.  Will be a tough sign.
27. Jesse Biddle (Philadelphia Phillies) – Sosnick & Cobbe – Matt Sosnick represents some big time pitchers; add this stud to the list.
28. Zach Lee (Los Angeles Dodgers) – Unknown – Committed to play football at LSU. Queue the signability discussion.
29. Cam Bedrosian (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – ACES
30. Chevez Clarke (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – ACES – 2 ACES clients drafted in a row, and a total of 3 ACES clients taken in the first round.
31. Justin O’Connor (Tampa Bay Rays) – SFX – Committed to Arkansas.
32. Cito Culver (New York Yankees) – SFX

Comp Round A

1. Mike Kvasnicka (Houston Astros) – Sterling Sports Management
2. Aaron Sanchez (Toronto Blue Jays) – West Coast Sports
3. Matthew Lipka (Atlanta Braves) – Franklin-Frye Sports
4. Bryce Brentz (Boston Red Sox) – Jet Sports Management
5. Taylor Lindsey (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – Unknown
6. Noah Syndergaard (Toronto Blue Jays) – Xclusive Sports Management
7. Anthony Ranaudo (Boston Red Sox) – Boras Corp.
8. Ryan Bolden (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim) – ACES
9. Asher Wojciechowski (Toronto Blue Jays) - SFX
10. Drew Vettleson (Tampa Bay Rays) – Creative Artists Agency
11. Taijuan Walker (Seattle Mariners) – Reynolds Sports Management
12. Nick Castellanos (Detroit Tigers) – SportsMeter
13. Luke Jackson (Texas Rangers) – Unknown
14. Seth Blair (St. Louis Cardinals) – Boras Corp.
15. Peter Tago (Colorado Rockies) – Wasserman Media Group
16. Chance Ruffin (Detroit Tigers) – Unknown
17. Mike Olt (Texas Rangers) – Wasserman Media Group
18. Tyrell Jenkins (St. Louis Cardinals) – Select Sports Group

The MLB Draft Day 1 Broken Down from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In actuality, now that everything is settled, the contracts are more of an indication of the kind of jobs agent Scott Boras and agent Mark Bartelstein did for their clients given the circumstances of the players and teams.

Ramirez’s agent Boras had been lobbying hard for a longer deal and an increase in salary for his client. He wanted around six years and $20-25 million per year. And the Dodgers clearly needed Ramirez throughout free agency after he initiated a resurgence of the team and the city following his trade from Boston. So how did Boras whiff on getting a better deal (and the answer is not the economy)?

While on the other hand, Warner’s agent Bartelstein started off in a difficult position as Warner stated the only other option other than re-signing with Arizona was retirement. But Bartelstein used the media and a trip to the 49ers to leverage a two-year $23 million deal that is more in Warner’s favor.

Boras spent time using his tricks and ploys, chipping away at Los Angeles owners Frank and Jamie McCourt and GM Ned Colletti, but the Dodgers refused to budge. A week after the Dodger’s initial offer of two-years $45 million in the beginning of November, Boras issued the statement, “On behalf of Manny Ramirez, we will, for the first time, begin accepting serious financial offers on Friday.”

Throughout the process, Boras was unable to solicit an offer from another team to pressure the Dodgers and four months later, Ramirez has a $0 increase from the first two-year $45 million offer.

In fact, according to Fox Sports’ Mark Kreigel, the present day value of Ramirez’s deal is actually $1.5 to $3 million less than the original Dodger offer.

At the end of last month, Bartelstein told the media that his client deserved to be paid among the top five quarterbacks in the league. The final deal fell short of that number, which according to Bartelstein is $14.5 million, but he managed to get an increase from the $10 million per year the Cardinals were first willing to pay and Warner still has the luxury of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.

Plus, Warner was never going to leave in the first place, already entrenched in Arizona with his family and happy with the situation with the Cardinals. He probably didn’t want to retire either, after having one of his most successful seasons in a few years. The meeting with 49er brass was a smart move to push negotiations along and find a suitable deal for both parties.

Bartelstein didn’t have much to work with, but he still coerced Arizona to up the offer. Everyone has their off days, and this time around, Bartelstein just flat out beat Boras.

Bartelstein bests Boras in recent deals from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

For the majority of teams, Manny is not even close to an option.  Check out this piece by Doug Miller in MLB.com.  Players with extensive All-Star experience and potential Hall of Famers signed Minor League deals this offseason.  Sure, many of them will end up making 40-man rosters and get a huge increase in salary, but teams are getting serious about cutting spending.

Names you have heard of who signed Minor League deals include: Brendan Donnelly, Freddy Garcia, Marcus Giles, Eddie Guardado, Matt Herges, Jason Jennings, Andruw Jones, Jacque Jones, Bobby Kielty, Rob Mackowiak, Mark Prior RHP, Glendon Rusch, Mike Sweeney, Juan Uribe, Omar Vizquel, Daryle Ward, Jeff Weaver.

Now, I am not suggesting that Manny Ramirez sign a Minor League contract.  And I am not suggesting that Ramirez need be in Spring Training as early as many others in the league.  However, I would like to point out that Boras might not be playing his cards right in this situation.  He is the master of leverage, but who is he pitting up against the Dodgers?  Does Colletti truly believe that there are any suitors out there who will pay anywhere near what the Dodgers are offering?

Manny Being Demanding from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

What: Mr. Sarmiento will be discussing careers in baseball, his rise to the top of the MLB and his advice on how all UF students can break into the world of professional baseball.

When: Monday, February 16, 2009, 4 p.m.

Where: Florida Gym Room 210 (just East of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium)

Cost: Free

MLB P.R. Executive Julio Sarmiento To Speak At University of Florida from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Scott Boras

“The one thing that’s puzzling to me is the lack of communication,” the Dodgers owner said Saturday night at a benefit for the Professional Baseball Scouts Foundation at the Hyatt Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles. “There’s a few issues that can’t be resolved without communication.”

“Everyone knows we want to have Manny [Ramirez] back. We’ve tried to make it very clear,” [Frank] McCourt said. “I certainly hope that message has been delivered to the player by now.”

I have no doubt that Boras loved reading that blurb in the Press-Enterprise.

Frank McCourt Wants To Talk To Boras from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In an interview, Manny stated, “I want to see who is the highest bidder. Gas is up and so am I.”

This past Wednesday, General Manager Ned Colletti said that the Dodgers’ offer would give Manny the second-highest average salary, only to be outdone by Yankees slugger Alex Rodriguez.

The Los Angeles Times has reported that the Dodgers’ offer is believed to be for two years at roughly $45 million.

Ramirez’s agent, Scott Boras, is reportedly seeking a long-term deal.

It seems to me that the Dodgers are being very hesitant on pitching Manny the long term deal for a couple of reasons:

• Manny is 36-years-old
• The Dodgers need to invest in other priorities with the highest being their bullpen.

In 53 regular season games in LA, Ramirez hit .396 with 17 home runs, 53 RBIs, 36 runs scored, 74 hits and 35 walks.

In the playoffs, Manny hit .520 with 4 home runs, 10 RBIs, 9 runs scored, and 11 walks in 8 games.

Other teams like the Orioles, Blue Jays, and Yankees will not be able to offer Manny a deal until November 14 (see this post for more free-agent info).

The Current “Manny” Price Is…. from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules