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

This is such an interesting negotiation, because it’s not entirely clear as to who holds the leverage. As much as Derek Jeter needs the Yankees, the Yankees need Derek Jeter. They are a couple that is never meant to be split. How would Yankees fans react to someone other than #2 at shortstop? Would they become restless and angered if the Yankees extended Jeter a 6 year deal and his offensive numbers and defensive range continued to diminish? What is more fascinating is that the Yankees are historically known for overpaying in free agency to get what they want, yet when they now deal with their most important player in the last 2 decades, something has obviously changed. My answer: The death of George Steinbrenner. There is no doubt in my mind that if the boss were still alive, Jeter would be getting a deal that favors his demands (5 year $100 million deal). With the Steinbrenner boys now running things, it is apparent that there is a new aura about the Yankees, especially when it comes to contract negotiations with their players. I think this negotiation is meant to set a precedent for the future in the new Yankee management system. They live in the present, not in the past, and as Hank Steinbrenner recently stated, “I don’t feel we owe anyone anything monetarily.” When the day does finally come when the core four (Jeter, Rivera, Pettite and Posada) all hang up the cleats and call it quits, the final piece of George’s Yankees will officially be gone, and the days of 10 year A-Rod/Jeter mega deals will be long gone.

Yankee fans do not worry; Derek Jeter will be in pinstripes next season. It’s a question of which side will budge first, and quite honestly, I wouldn’t test Hank and Hal Steinbrenner right now. They seem to be on a mission to make a point very clear to the players, media and fans: Drink the reality potion Derek Jeter, you’ll get what you deserve and not what you demand.

The Ultimate Chess Match from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Talk about a beautiful frame and picture!  I know we have three losses so far this year, but I cannot wait to put this up in my office.  It is one of the new products on Church Hill Classics’ Mike Sullivan Sports Artwork Frames line.  Sullivan is a nationally known sports artist who is known for his chiseled, edgy style.  The frames (which come in two different styles) are available here.  Go take a look.

And while I have your attention, Sports Agent Blog is running a contest for a separate prize.  We are teaming up with Buffalo Wild Wings to offer a free Buffalo Wild Wings lawn chair.  The chairs are great for tailgating or for additional seating all season long.

All you have to do is tweet what you think will be the the final score of tonight’s Game 4 of the New York Yankees vs. Texas Rangers match-up and reference @Darren_Heitner. Here is an example tweet: “@Darren_Heitner Game 4 #ALCS final score prediction: NYY-5 TX-2.”  If more than one person correctly predicts the final score, we will randomly select the winner amongst those who got it right.  If no one gets it right, then everyone who submits their guess will be eligible in a random drawing.  Make sure you include @Darren_Heitner, though, or else we won’t know that you tweeted your prediction.

Gators Picture Frame And Sports Agent Blog CONTEST from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

But what happens when the lower payroll teams start beating out the big spenders?  Will the big spenders stop throwing their money at the players who have their hands out constantly asking for more?  And will the non-spenders continue to balk at the idea of spending, since they have enjoyed success without dishing out close to the amount of money that the “big market” teams have spent?

Only 3 (Giants, Phillies, and Yankees) of the top 10 teams when it comes to payroll have made this year’s playoffs.  4 teams from the bottom half of payrolls made the playoffs (Rangers, Rays, Reds, and Braves).  Does this mean that parity is possible in a league that is not bound by any type of salary cap?  Darren Rovell says it is not only possible, but that the MLB has the most parity of any sport, with 19 different World Series champions in the past 30 years.

Does Payroll Of Playoff Contender Affect Future Contract Negotiations? from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

The MLB postseason is truly one of the best, because unlike football and basketball where the best team usually wins, time and time again we see instances of a wild card or underdog team making a run to the World Series (’08 Rays, ’07 Rockies, ’03 Marlins). There is not a more exciting moment in baseball than the bottom of the 9th inning of an elimination game, where the true character of a team is tested.

• Outdoor October baseball in Minnesota.
• The core 4 Yanks (Rivera, Jeter, Pettite & Posada) going for rings on a second hand.
• The Phillies attempting to make the World Series for the 3rd consecutive year.
• Bobby Cox’s final post-season.

So many great story lines and so much baseball left to play. And with that, I give all you SAB followers a taste of what’s to come this October:

Here are my rankings of the Postseason 8:

1. Philadelphia Phillies – Halladay, Hamels and Oswalt aka H2O (the first release of this new nickname) – A match-up problem for anyone they face. The Phillies have both experience and depth, and have a great chance to repeat as champions of the National League.
2. Tampa Bay Rays – You know the pitching will be there, but this team will go as far as their bats take them. The Rays have played consistently throughout the season despite the lack of support from the hometown fans. Look for Carl Crawford, BJ Upton and Evan Longoria to step up this October.
3. New York Yankees – Struggling as of late, but October in the Bronx is a magical place. The veterans must continue to lead and use their experience as they face an unfamiliar situation as the American League Wild Card team. Jeter batted a career low .270 this season, but it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish. We all know what the captain is capable of in October.
4. San Francisco Giants – This team has the 2nd best pitching staff in the playoffs, and has been playing great in the last month of the season. Jonathan Sanchez may be the key for this team, as he has delivered time and time again for the Giants in big games. I’m curious to see how rookie Buster Posey reacts to his first postseason.
5. Minnesota Twins – The Twins are a different team with Justin Morneau. Minnesota has had the central locked up for a while now, so it will be interesting to see how they come out in game 1 tonight; especially with the recent struggles of Francisco Liriano. New Target Field should be electric tonight.
6. Cincinnati Reds – This could be the sleeper of all postseason teams. The Reds, after not making the playoffs in over a decade, have been leading their division for virtually the entire season. Not much playoff experience on this roster, but look for Scott Rolen to take the responsibility of clubhouse leader.
7. Texas Rangers – With Josh Hamilton’s injury, Cliff Lee is the only thing keeping Rangers fans optimistic. Lee has the ability to win 2 games in a 5 game series, but how they get that other win over a great Rays team remains a big question mark.
8. Atlanta Braves – With yet another playoff berth, Bobby Cox has cemented himself as one of baseball’s greatest managers. Nobody picked the young Braves prior to the season, but they proved doubters wrong. With Martin Prado and Chipper Jones out, though, there is just not enough power at the plate to find success.

Predictions:

Division Series
Phillies over Reds in 4
Giants over Braves in 5

Rays over Rangers in 4
Yankees over Twins in 4

Championship Series
Giants over Phillies in 7
Yankees over Rays in 6

World Series
Giants over Yankees in 7

Your MLB Playoffs Preview from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

Major League Baseball is very reluctant to change.  That was evident when Armando Galarraga deserved a Perfect Game, but was robbed by a bad call made by the first-base umpire, which could have been corrected, had the MLB instituted a replay system.  Even since that error, it seems as though instant replay is still far from certain to be implemented in America’s Past Time.

Along with a hesitance to change stemming on the owners/execs side is the fact that changes that they do wish to bring about are often disputed by the strong MLB Players Association.  The MLBPA is not a pushover, whatsoever, and there may be factions within the MLBPA that are not interested in bringing about any changes at all to the MLB Rule 4 Draft.  With signing bonuses likely to be at all time highs (we will not know the actual numbers until the August signing deadline), this is understandable.  There is no way that the MLBPA would be interested in a slotting system.  But what about teams possibly having the right to trade picks?

The NBA and NFL allows its teams to trade picks prior to the teams actually submitting their picks.  The MLB stands alone in preventing that from occurring within its league, and actually continues to prevent teams from trading the players they select until 1 year after those players are drafted.  This forces a team like the Toronto Blue Jays to select a kid like Noah Syndergaard with the 6th pick in Comp Round A.  I have been told that Syndergaard signed for $600,000, which is roughly $300,000 under slot.  No one that I know projected the player to go that high, and Toronto probably figured they could get away spending much less on him than they would with another player that they would have rather taken at that position.  A team like Toronto, with 10 picks in the first 4 rounds, could have traded some picks to a team that needed more picks, in return for an option to move up, not break the bank on multiple high picks, and get someone that they wanted a lot.

It may not dramatically affect negotiations between players selected and the teams that select them.  After all, a lot of the signability concerns are hammered out prior to a player hearing his name called on the conference call (or now on MLB Network on Day 1).  However, perhaps a system that allows for trades will create signing bonus round charts that look more consistent – where the best players are taken at the top and paid by the teams that really want them.

I’m not even sure where I stand on the whole idea, but I think it would be an interesting experiment.

An MLB Where Draft Picks Could Be Traded 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

Apparently the recession is finally hitting the Bronx Bombers. After spending $429 million last season for four players, the Yankees are not willing to match that number for next season. Yesterday, the Yankees GM Brian Cashman said he won’t meet with the Steinbrenner’s until next week to discuss the payroll, but that regardless, he isn’t going to spend nearly as much as last year.

Cashman didn’t say that he would totally curb spending this offseason. Even though they won the world series, there are still significant holes in the rotation, bullpen and lineup that must be filled. After speaking with the Steinbrenner’s next week, Cashman will decide whether to bring Johnny Damon or Hideki Matsui back and what bullpen changes can be made. They are also waiting to hear from Andy Pettitte on whether he’ll return next year.

With the notion that the Yankees are cutting spending for next season, I pose two questions: 1) Will the fact that the Yankees won’t be in contention for every top free agent lower the numbers on collective free agent deals and 2) Will the Yankees be involved in the Halladay sweepstakes if they are cutting spending?

1. I imagine that while the Yankees won’t be in contention for every top free agent, their name will still surface for many of them. The threat of the Yankees coveting a free agent might seem like it would raise the price of that particular free agent because teams will think they need to spend more. However, unless it is a big name free agent and a bidding war ensues between the Yankees and another big market club, it is unlikely that the Yankees will have that much of an affect on free agency this offseason, by not going after as many players.
2. I do think that by curbing spending it will hurt their chances on obtaining Roy Halladay. With virtually all big market clubs mentioned in rumors for Halladay, he figures to be one of the most coveted offseason non-free-agents in some time. Without the Yankees sign-at-all-costs approach that they took last season, it is unlikely the Yankees will land Halladay.

What this means is that at least for one offseason, many clubs around MLB have a fighting chance of signing the number one free agent or making a trade for the number one signed player on their list.

The Bronx Effect – Yanks to Curb Spending in 2010 from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

This World Series defense stems from the actions of an over eager Philadelphia fan who is using the Phillies World Series appearance as part of her defense against a misdemeanor charge of promoting prostitution from an advertisement on Craigslist.

Susan Finkelstein, a 43-year-old University of Pennsylvania graduate student, wanted to take her husband to a World Series game between her darling Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Yankees. Mrs. Finkelstein wanted to get tickets for game one of the World Series so badly that she posted an advertisement on Craigslist describing herself as a “buxom blonde” looking to meet up with someone to discuss getting tickets to a World Series game. Unfortunately for Finkelstein, an undercover officer responded to the ad and arranged to meet her in a suburban Philly bar on Tuesday, October 27^th. The two had a few beers and discussed Finkelstein’s ideas about a ticket exchange. The specific facts about what was said at the table between the two are unclear as both sides have different accounts.

According to Finkelstein’s attorney, William J. Brennan, the Craigslist ad may have dropped double entendres but never explicitly offered sex. Brennan said, “If somebody read into that posting a sexual connotation, that’s on them. There’s no overt sexual reference.” Mr. Brennan also said that his client was “a nice lady overcome with Phillies fever.”  Finkelstein told the Associated Press that she was hoping to get cheap tickets, as she had in the past.  “Maybe meet someone, and talk, and bat my eyelashes and maybe get some tickets.”

On the other side, the prosecution believes the advertisement on Craigslist and the conversation with the undercover officer at the bar clearly show Finkelstein’s true intent.  The officer said that she never offered him any money for the tickets, but declined to further elaborate on the conversation and the offer.

Finkelstein has a preliminary hearing in Bucks County Pennsylvania on December 3^rd. In the mean time, the notoriety and press, although embarrassing, has given Finkelstein and her husband some positives. A radio station and car dealer offered her and her husband a pair of tickets to a weekend game of the Phillies. Other reports have her and her husband attending game three of the World Series, but failed to mention how she got the tickets.

The World Series Defense from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules

As noted in the piece, this is the first year since Jonah started recording figures, that the average earnings for the list, decreased.  Blame it on the economy?

Beware of the bullets:

• 5 New York Yankees players are listed, but they all make the list because of their salaries, not an overwhelming endorsement portfolio.  Maybe LeBron James (#3 on the list) notices that meeting his endorsement potential is not all about moving to NY.  Or perhaps he believes that baseball players in NY have no chance getting as much money in endorsements as he would (a basketball player).  I still hope that he stays in Cleveland.
• It’s not as if A-Rod’s contract is new to us, but just look at the difference in salary between Rodriguez and every other athlete on the list.  Unreal.
• Shaq is getting old and less productive, but still making a great amount of money…especially in endorsements.  How will his love for Twitter help/hurt his ranking over the next year?
• Teixiera and Sabathia, combined, make less in endorsements than Jermaine O’Neal?  Okay, baseball players do have some marketing hurdles to overcome.
• Steve Francis at #22 hurts a lot more than Barry Zito at #26.

Those Who Are Fortunate from Sports Agent Blog - Sports Business, Sports Law, Sports Negotiations, NCAA Rules