I first found out about Teixeira dropping Boras through a Tweet by Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  Later in the day, Hoch provided a bunch of worthwhile quotes from Teixeira on his MLB.com article.  Here are some of Teixeira’s quotes scrapped from Hoch’s article:

“There’s no reason to get into a lot of specifics right now, but sometimes business relationships just run their course.  For me and my family, right now this is the best decision for me.”

“I felt at times I was Mark Teixeira, Scott Boras client, instead of Mark Teixeira, baseball player.  We had a great relationship and he gave me everything that I asked for contract-wise.”

“He was obviously disappointed.  Scott and I have had a great relationship business-wise.  We both have worked well together.  I’ve known him for 12 years.  After 12 years, sometimes it’s just time to make a little bit of a change.  Hopefully when I see him, we’ll be able to shake hands.”

So for all of you hoping that Teixeira would slam Scott Boras for something, tough luck.  In fact, Teixeira praised Boras for doing a great job negotiating his current deal with the New York Yankees.  If anything, Teixeira’s statements further solidify Boras as one of, if not the best in baseball when it comes to seeking suitors for clients and negotiating his clients’ deals.  However, even Boras is not the best at everything, and at this stage of Teixeira’s career, he seems to have no need for the services of Boras Corp.  Instead, Teixeira’s concerns include helping the Yankees win a championship (something no agent can assist with) and becoming more involved in the community (where a specialized sports agent or non-sports entity could come in to help).

Teixeira has been working with John McMahon of the Jonas Group.  Expect McMahon to take an even greater role in the management of Teixeira’s off-field work.  The Jonas Group is run by the Jonas Brothers’ father, Paul Kevin Jonas, Sr.  The company markets a lot of young talent including Jordin Sparks and Demi Lovato in addition to Mark Teixeira.

And don’t feel bad for Scott Boras.  He will still get his full commission on that luscious $160 million contract.

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

Baseball

• He is now in Michigan’s Hall of Honor [Former Michigan baseball star Casey Close remains true to himself, makes a name as a top agent].
• Gap of $1.5 million and may come down to CAA talking about his durability while the Orioles focus on his lackluster stats [Jeremy Guthrie's Arbitration Case].
• I agree – the #1 case to watch is Josh Hamilton’s [Ten Arbitration Cases To Watch].
• Former GA Tech players Boras has represented includes Mark Teixeira, Jason Varitek, Matt Wieters, Eric Patterson, and Tyler Green [Scott Boras to Speak at Georgia Tech Baseball's Benefit Dinner on Feb. 17].

Basketball

• Bill Duffy and Mark Bartelstein say no, if it means moving it to an earlier date [Should early-entry withdrawal date move?].
• The LeBron James Effect – the Miami Heat’s worth increased 17%, to $425 million [The NBA’s Most Valuable Teams].

Football

• But his agent Ryan Tollner sure has his back [Nothing Big About Ben In The Marketing World].
• Whose hair will you root for in the Super Bowl? [Clay Matthews Signs Hair Endorsement Deal With Suave].

Shabbat Shalom: Friday Wrap-Up (1/28/2011) from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

A lot of money was spent in Washington on Sunday, just not in the typical way. Admittedly, I haven’t done a great job on posting here in recent months. But sometimes a story will come along that screams out to me, and I feel obligated to write about it. The signing of Jayson Werth to a 7 year, $126 million contract by the Washington Nationals is one such story.

When I read about it on Twitter yesterday (follow me at @detroitdan1982), I almost fell off my chair. I don’t really hide the fact that I am a die hard Detroit Tigers fan, and I was hopeful that the club’s general manager, Dave Dombrowski, might make a play for Werth to solidify the middle of the lineup with Miguel Cabrera and the recently signed Victor Martinez. He would have also ben a defensive improvement in right field. But there was no way on God’s green earth that I thought the Tigers should pay $126 million for him. This looks like it could be the newest candidate for worst free agent contract in Major League Baseball history.

It seemed all along that the Boston Red Sox were the front runners for Werth. They reportedly had meetings with him, and all indications were that Werth would soon join the BoSox (who made their own splash on Sunday by trading for Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres). But seemingly out of nowhere, the Nats stepped forward and made the biggest free agent signing in franchise history.

Score another one for Scott Boras, though. He consistently squeezes the most out of teams for his clients. While I’m no expert, I guessed that when free agency began, Werth might be in line for a contract somewhere in the range of $70-$90 million for 6 or 7 years. I also thought the biggest fish on the market, Carl Crawford, would probably get upwards of $100 million for 6 or 7 years, but not significantly more than that. But now that Werth is getting $126 million, it seems as though Crawford is set to receive at least that much, and maybe as much as $180 million according to some sources. I really don’t think either of those guys are on par with Joe Mauer or Mark Teixeira, who have signed $180 million contracts in recent years.

As the title of the article suggests, I think this might be just a bit too much money for Werth. He turns 32 in May, and while he may improve, and it’s possible that he has a few good years ahead of him, he’s never finished a season with a batting average over .300 and he’s never had 100 RBIs. I know those aren’t the only stats that matter, but if I’m paying a guy over $100 million, I think I might want him to be able to do those things.

The contract is the same in years and dollars as the one that Vernon Wells signed with the Toronto Blue Jays in late 2006. While that one hasn’t quite worked out the way the Jays had hoped, Wells had just turned 28 at the time and seemed to have more upside at that point than Werth has now. Only time will tell, but I have a feeling that two or three years from now (or maybe even sooner), the Nationals will regret committing so much money to a player who seems unproven, at least in my eyes.

What do you think? Am I the only one who thinks that the Nationals will eventually end up regretting this deal? I’d love to know what you think!

Insanity in the Nation’s Capital: Is Jayson “Werth” $126 Million? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

In many’s eyes, Albert Pujols is the best baseball player around and quite frankly, his numbers support that claim.  Pujols’ career statistics are superior  than many of the other players that hold down spots on the highest-paid list in the MLB; names such as Alex Rodriguez, Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramirez, Derek Jeter and Carlos Beltran.

Here is a list of these players and their current contracts:

• Alex Rodriguez – $238 million, 9 years
• Carlos Beltran – $119 million, 7 years
• Mark Teixeira – $108 million, 8 years
• Derek Jeter – 2009: $20 million, 2010: $21 million
• Manny Ramirez – 2009: $25 million, 2010: $20 million

Seeing as Albert Pujols’ career stats (.334, 40/122, 1.053) are better than A-Rod’s (.305, 42/122, .966), I think it is safe to say that Pujols should be a $200+ million man in the immediate future. Anything less would be tragedy!

Albert Pujols: Cash Flow Under-Achiever from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

“There is a growing feeling within the industry that the nation’s economic struggles are going to have a major impact on the decisions of some teams. Some executives and agents believe a lot of teams might shy away from long-term obligations knowing that the disposable income of many of their fans might disappear —— and disposable income is what the baseball industry relies upon. More clubs may be apt to cut payroll or hold their budgets in place, rather than spend, because of the fiscal uncertainty. Some executives and agents talk about the upcoming off-season and increasingly sound as if they are coastal residents preparing to batten down for an economic hurricane.”

When all is said and done, the current economic climate and its effect on professional sports might be the biggest sports story of the year. While the current recession has not affected the New York Yankees who spent considerable money on free agents C.C. Sabathia, A.J. Burnett, and Mark Teixeira, it clearly has influenced the decision of other organizations to sign big name free agents. Take for example Bobby Abreu. Abreu was looking for a contract somewhere in the ballpark of three years at $15 to $16 million per year. Yet Abreu remains unsigned and it appears that he is looking at offers in the range of one to two years at $8 to $10 million per year. Several other big names such as Adam Dunn, Ben Sheets, Orlando Cabrera, Pedro Martinez, Manny Ramirez and Jim Edmonds remain unsigned. Teams are hesitant in the current economic climate to spend millions of dollars on players who are past their prime or injury prone. Even players like Andy Pettitte and Jason Varitek, who initially turned down offers from the Yankees and Red Sox to look for more money appear to have no other options out there. They will be forced to return to their former teams for a lower salary or to retire (Pettitte has already signed).

It will be interesting to see how this story plays out in 2009. A number of free agents may have to take significant pay cuts or sit out the upcoming season. It will also be interesting to see how the economic climate affects attendance figures. While the big market teams such as the Yankees, Red Sox and Dodgers should have no problem selling tickets, will fans in Pittsburgh or Kansas City want to spend their hard earned money to watch mediocre teams?

The Struggling Economy and its Effect on Free-Agent Signings from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The Yanks initially made an offer to Teixeira a few weeks ago but then later withdrew it. This contract will pay Teixeira an average of $22.5 million per season.

The Yankees are definitely not shy about spending the loot. They have already committed $423.5 million in 1 month with contracts going to CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett, Teixeira and others.

When asked about the Yankees spending habit, Milwaukee Brewers owner Mark Attanasio said, “Frankly, the sport might need a salary cap.”

On top of all this, the Yankees were slapped with a $26.9 million luxury tax by Commissioner Bud Selig.

Yanks Rope Teixeira from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules