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Robinson Cano Fires Boras; Hires CAA
11:33am: Boras told ESPN's T.J. Quinn, "I haven't spoken to Robinson, and I hope to." Quinn's sources say Cano is still under contract with Boras. And I can confirm that at this moment, the MLBPA still has Cano's agent as Boras. It could just be a matter of paperwork, however, since Cano and his new agent have already released statements.
9:27am: Robinson Cano has fired agent Scott Boras, reports ESPN's Buster Olney. Olney says the Yankees' second baseman "has quietly been meeting with other agents in recent weeks to discuss a possible switch, and now he has changed representation." Cano hired CAA as his new agency, tweets Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News. Cano is the top free agent of the 2013-14 offseason, with a potential $200MM contract in his sights, so it's a big blow for Boras and huge addition to a CAA roster that includes Ryan Braun, Buster Posey, Adam Jones, Ryan Zimmerman, Roy Halladay, Matt Cain, Jake Peavy, Andre Ethier, Matt Garza, Corey Hart, and Ryan Howard, among many others.
Cano hired Boras in February 2011, three years after previous agent Bobby Barad negotiated a team-friendly contract that included a pair of club options. Last month, Yankees GM Brian Cashman told reporters the team had made a "significant offer," with free agency looming after the season. It stands to reason that the Yankees' chances of extending the player before free agency have increased. Cano's marketing will be handled by Jay-Z's company Roc Nation, notes Feinsand, and Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports says this affiliation is part of the reason the player chose CAA. Olney further explains, "Jay-Z is starting a sports rep agency, attached to CAA, and Cano will be its first client." CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen will handle baseball stuff, tweets Andy McCullough of the Newark Star-Ledger. For more on Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports venture, including news that Jay-Z (real name Shawn Carter) himself is planning to become a certified agent, check out this article from ESPN's Darren Rovell.
"Because of my love of sports, it was a natural progression to form a company where we can help top athletes in various sports the same way we have been helping artists in the music industry for years," Jay-Z told Daniel Barbarisi of the Wall Street Journal.
Usually, the Boras Corporation adds a few of the top free agents before free agency hits. The agency does still have big names for next offseason in Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo.
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