Starting in 2009, there are two classes of free agents: international and domestic.  Domestic free agents can only sign with other NPB teams while international free agents are free to try their luck overseas as well as sign domestically.

In order to qualify as an international free agent, players must play nine seasons in the NPB.  To qualify as a domestic free agent, players drafted before 2007 must wait eight seasons.  Players drafted after 2007 are only required to wait seven seasons before being declared domestic free agents.  This is a much longer period than in MLB.  Can you imagine an MLB superstar having to wait eight seasons before signing with a big market club?

Also, in contrast to MLB regulations, players must be on the team’s top roster for 145 days in order for it to count as a “year” for free agency purposes.  Time spent injured or in the minors does not count.  Therefore, it can take much longer than eight or nine years for a player to be eligible for free agency in Japan.

Further, teams that sign a domestic free agent in Japan are required to compensate the player’s former team with either money or players.  Many players decline free agency and remain with their teams.  This basically means that Japanese free agency is almost non-existent compared to MLB.  For example, after the 2008 season, 83 players qualified for free agency.  Only 7 actually filed.

This year, roughly the same amount of players are eligible.  One Japanese player has already filed: Ryota Igarashi of the Yakult Swallows. Igarashi is a 30-year-old right-handed relief pitcher.  He went 3-2 with three saves and a 3.19 ERA in 56 games last season.  His best season was 2004 when he had 37 saves and 86 strikeouts in 66 games.  It will be interesting to see how many more actually file.

Cuba is known for producing remarkable talent on the diamond.  Its players are followed by every single MLB organization, and many agents dream about getting their hands on the next Cuban-born prospect.  Recently, the baseball world has been caught up with what team Cuba’s most recent defector, Aroldis Chapman, will sign with.  Chapman is just the newest Cuban player to clog the headlines, but in the past, many others have been in the spotlight, and unfortunately, so have their agents.

Representing Cuban defectors is risky business.  Gustavo “Gus” Dominguez, co-founder of California-based Total Sports International Inc., was handed a five-year prison term in April 2008 for smuggling prospects out of Cuba.  Juan Ignacio Hernández Nodar, was a Miami-based sports agent who received a fifteen-year sentence for the same thing: helping Cuban players defect from the island.  Nodar was recently released one-and-a half -years earlier than the full length of the sentence.  You can thank Nodar for being able to watch Orlando “El Duque” Hernández over the years.

The U.S. and Cuban governments tried to make examples out of Gus and Nodar, and for a long time, we have heard little about Cuban baseball defections.  It makes me wonder how closely government officials have been monitoring Aroldis Chapman’s defection.  I assume that his agents were especially careful in the way they managed his affairs.  One would hope so based on the penalties handed down to guys like Dominguez and Nodar.

Sports Business

• “Take the opportunity to meet as many people as you can.” [Sports leaders explain the key to success]
• A sign that lacrosse is growing in the U.S.? [MLL, NLL lacrosse star John Glynn signs with agent Matthew Norfolk]

Baseball

• Even if they don’t make it in baseball, they may make some good money off of the rights fees [Story Of Indian Pitchers Bought By Sony].
• All because of a misunderstanding [Sports Law Blog's Joe Rosen Signs Red Sox Reliever Hideki Okajima as Client].
• That Vernon Wells contract… [Bad Contract Swap Meet].
• A great read for players, parents, scouts, and advisors [Showcases Have Turned Baseball Into A Year-Round Sport].

Football

• Keep your mouth shut and your tweeting at bay [The Cost of Larry Johnson’s Gay Slur on Twitter: $213,000].
• The UFL vs. CFL portion is a good read [Sports Agent Corner: UFL vs CFL, “Runners”, and the Stay-or-Go Debate].

Also, one last note.  Buffalo Wild Wings is hosting a cool contest.  Register to win a roster spot to play in an exclusive football game at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, this spring.  You can register at any Buffalo Wild Wings location through November 8 (no purchase is required). The winners will be selected November 18 and will receive round-trip airfare and hotel accommodation for the February 13 game, among other prizes. The winners will be split into two teams and given celebrity coaches (ESPN’s Mike Golic and Mike Greenberg) and captains (Jerome “The Bus” Bettis and Marshall Faulk).

They also want me to share a coupon with you, which is good until November 1 (yeah, not much time to use it).  You can print this page (there is a button to do that on the top of this post), to use the coupon.

In Game 1, Cliff Lee went a full 9 innings to pick up a complete game win.  He gave up 1 unearned run and fanned 10 batters, while walking none!  Then, yesterday in Game 2, the Yankees were desperate for a big game from Burnett.  And he delivered.  Burnett went 7 innings, giving up only 1 earned run, fanned 9, and walked 2.  Braunecker is definitely happy with both pitcher’s strike-out/walk ratio.

So now Braunecker can relax for a few days…until Lee takes the hill again.  Next time, Darek won’t have to worry about Lee actually making it to the game he is scheduled to pitch.  NY traffic can really make things difficult.

Baseball

• Some interesting ideas include: increase scholarships, bring back the one-time transfer rule, make a switch to wooden bats, and push the MLB Draft to after the CWS [College baseball still needs major changes].
• Big ATL agents (France – football and Abbott – baseball) will be in attendance [First Ever Brian McCann Celebrity Softball Game Set for 11/13].
• Quite a line from Boras: “If stem-cell research were around, you’d want to tap into that gene pool.” [Scott Boras is making pitch for Johnny Damon's free agency this winter]
• The Arizona Fall League has produced a lot of very successful Major League players [Scout's Diary: AFL Still A Great Secret].

Football

• Surprised that Antonio Gates is not in the top 10 paid TEs? [Under the Cap: Top Ten Tight Ends]
• I also hate the uniforms, but glad to see that NFL execs are taking a peek at the talent [Don't discount the UFL].
• Josh Morgan seems to be taking the news pretty well [Report: Crabtree likely to start for 49ers].

Sports Agents

• Former sports agent, Alonzo “Lon” Monk, was up to some shady business [Ex-Blagojevich aide pleads guilty to corruption].

If you haven’t heard about the scuffle, here is a semi-brief recap:

Around three months ago, when the Phillies played the Florida Marlins in Miami, Ryan Howard hit his 200^th homerun, making him the fastest player to ever reach that milestone in MLB history.  Twelve year-old Miami resident, Jennifer Valdivia, was fortunate enough to beat her older brother and everyone else to the homerun ball hit into the stands.  This was Jennifer’s first ever MLB game.  She attended the game with her 17 year old brother and grandmother- who does not speak any English.  Shortly after gathering the ball, the Phillies sent someone from management to seek out Jennifer in order to procure the ball for Howard.  Individuals from the Phillies ended up taking only twelve year old Jennifer and her seventeen year old brother to the clubhouse to “talk” about a trade for the homerun ball (emphasis added).  After some tough negotiating, the Phillies made an agreement with Jennifer that had her receiving a signed Ryan Howard ball after the game, in exchange for the ball she had caught in the stands.  Once Jennifer had returned home and told her mother about the deal with the Phillies, the family sought out attorney and memorabilia enthusiast Norm Kent.   Only days later, Kent filed a complaint and within hours, the Phillies called Jennifer and returned the ball the same day.

After first hearing this story, I had the same initial thought as Mark Conrad from Sports Law Blog. The foremost thing on my mind was the first couple of weeks of Contracts class where we discussed contracting with minors or infants.  I remembered the duel edged sword that minors can have when forming a contract.  The rules of “infancy” state when a minor forms a contract, he/she can rescind that contract at any time without approval by the other side.  That is why contracting with a minor can be a very silly thing, like in this situation.

My response to this situation is one of disbelief.  Who in the Phillies organization would make a deal with a twelve year old girl regarding a supposed piece of MLB history (if you categorize “the fastest to” as a legitimate baseball record) without her parents or someone who is NOT a minor present?  If the Phillies brought the grandmother into the clubhouse with the girl, they probably would have the ball now.

How could this individual not feel like he was doing something wrong, or taking advantage of this child by making such a deal?  Although there are two sides to every story, the Phillies quickly recognized the ramifications and bad press that keeping the baseball would cause and made the right decision by giving it back.

The Minnesota Twins have signed Miguel Angel Sano, a 16-year old Dominican shortstop who is rumored to be one of the best (if not, the best) teenage prospects in Latin America. According to Sano’s agent Rob Plummer, the Twins have signed him for a $3.15 million bonus; however, this is based upon Sano acquiring a visa from the U.S. Consulate in the DR.

Sano is second on the list of the highest paid players from Latin America — first is Michel Ynoa who was signed by the Oakland Athletics last year for $4.25 million.

So, with this signing, a big question arises: Will teams be investing more time and effort into scouting foreign players than domestic? What does this mean for the American sport of baseball?

For those players who continue to play in the offseason, some will play in their organization’s Fall Instructional League.  There are also players who have been invited to play in one of the prestigious Fall/Winter leagues.  There are the Arizona Fall League (AFL), Puerto Rican Winter League, Dominican Winter League, Mexican Pacific League, and Venezuelan Winter League.  These are the leagues recognized by Major League Baseball.  In addition to the leagues mentioned, there are a few that have recently sprouted and are hoping to attract talented players to their offerings.

The Florida Winter Baseball League (FWBL) has four teams that cater to Rookie and Single A level ballplayers.  The leagues listed above attract many higher level players.  The FWBL started only a year ago, and will start play in October this year.  Competition will last until January.  Sixty games will be played, with opening day scheduled for October 30.

There have also been rumors that a Junior Arizona Fall League will be developed in the future.  In the meantime, players on the West Coast who were not invited to the AFL may want to look into what people are calling the Advanced Instructional League and the Arizona Parallel League.  Several Farm Directors have put together this makeshift league, which will play all of its games in Arizona.  Play begins two days from now and ends on October 16.  Most players will be taken from Class A and Double A squads.  Only players from the following organizations are invited to participate: Royals, Rangers, Padres, Mariners, Reds, Indians, Dodgers, and White Sox.

Football

• A nice breakdown of the Tyson Jackson, Aaron Curry, and B.J. Raji contracts [First-rounders are cashing in].
• A couple of Florida cities are under consideration [Senior Bowl might be moving out of Mobile].
• Agents collectively not allowing their clients to participate in offseason drills until they are signed to their entry-level contracts…a possibility? [Pats finally sign McKenzie].

Basketball

• Might they be replaced by regional freelancers? [Inside the Numbers: The Cost of an Advance Scout].
• Great links in Twitter form [Carnival Of The NBA!].

Baseball

• Hard slotting system or continue with the ignored suggested slots? [Does Draft system need reform?]
• Lots of former first round picks and big name prospects will be heading to Arizona soon [Strasburg, top picks highlight AFL].
• And here is the current list.  A lot of young talent.  Expect more of the AAA studs to be in Puerto Rico and Dominican Republic [AFL Rosters Are Announced].

I like my clients to know that I will be there for them now, when they are professionals in their most learned and skilled trade, and later in life, when they venture into new business opportunities.  It seems like Doug Glanville would have benefited from having someone like me upon his retirement.  His Op-Ed piece in the New York Times linked above tells the story of a millionaire (most baseball players never even make it out of the Minors to make anywhere near that kind of money), who still struggled after retiring from baseball.  He writes:

Many of my former teammates and opponents were shaken to their core by [Steve] McNair’s death; it hit home for every one of them. There’s nothing to fill that void of competing every single day at the highest level.

According to [Eddie] George, McNair was lost, floating around trying to define himself without the pads, seeking solace in relationships outside his marriage. George remarked, “What people fail to realize is that when you make a transition away from the game — emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually — you go through something. You change, and you’re constantly searching for something.” Who will understand that a transitioning athlete needs help? There are few soft landings when you’ve been flying high.

Not many people can understand.  His teammates can, but they are busy playing or are going through the same thing.  His family can, but many players have stressful familial relationships because they are always on the road away from home.  What about the agent that the player has relied on throughout his professional baseball career?

This should also serve as a lesson to baseball players: Don’t go through 10 different agents before you decide to call it quits.  Develop a strong relationship with one agent, and try to stick with him.  He will go to bat for you after retirement.  If you keep switching agents throughout your career, which one of the many will actually care about you afterward?  Probably none of them.

It would seem that it is in everyone’s best interest to do a better job of supporting these players after their careers. They still have a place in the memories of a generation of fans and can be powerful mentoring influences.

Are enough agents recognizing this?