Astros star Carlos Correa is making an unusual switch in representation, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports (Twitter links). Correa has parted ways with agent Greg Genske and is now being represented by talent agency William Morris Endeavor. WME is not a baseball agency and does not even have a MLBPA-certified agent at present, although WME agent Jon Rosen is in the process of being certified by the union, Feinsand adds.
WME’s client list includes names like Bobby Flay, Rachel Ray and Al Roker, and Feinsand adds that Rosen represented both Alex Rodriguez and Matt Vasgersian in negotiating their broadcast contracts with ESPN. Jeff Passan of ESPN further reports that Rodriguez has been advising Correa on his future, which surely influenced the shift to some degree.
On the one hand, it’s not exactly a surprise to see Correa find new representation. Genske’s former Legacy Agency was acquired by Gatemore Sports & Entertainment and rebranded as GSE Worldwide last year, and several agents have broken off to start their own shops (e.g. Tidal Sports Group, VC Sports Group). Alex Bregman and Mookie Betts are among the former Legacy clients who’ve followed their representatives to those newly started agencies.
A player — particularly one of this caliber — enlisting an agency that has never worked in baseball before is obviously quite rare. In some respects, the switch is reminiscent of Robinson Cano leaving Scott Boras to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports, although Jay-Z partnered with CAA Baseball (agent-turned-Mets-GM Brodie Van Wagenen, specifically) early in that endeavor. Whether WME seeks out a similar partnership or hires an experienced baseball representative remains to be seen.
Assuming Rosen is indeed certified as a player agent by the MLBPA, he’ll immediately be thrust into a high-profile arbitration case in his first offseason on the job. Correa is earning a $5MM salary in 2019 as a first-time arbitration-eligible player and stands to receive a sizable raise on that sum in 2020.
It’d be more interesting, though, to see how Correa’s new representation approaches his looming free agency in the 2021-22 offseason. It’s certainly possible that WME could hire a more seasoned baseball agent so that his trip to the open market wouldn’t be a totally foreign experience for the company’s fledgling baseball department. More broadly looking beyond Correa, it also stands to reason that a company with WME’s considerable resources and marketing capabilities would have little difficulty in luring other MLB players to a newly created baseball department (which could, of course, serve as another means of gaining experience in free agency prior to Correa hitting the open market).
As always, the change in representation has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database, which contains representation information on hundreds upon hundreds of current and former players. If you see an error or omission within the database, please let us know: mlbtrdatabase@gmail.com.
well this is interesting…
see a bad Moon rising with this nugget. Can’t blame Correa for looking out for #1. Astros fans have two years left with him is my bet, then it’s on to New York for CC.
Choosing A-Rod as an advisor, sound choice…..
Regardless of what some might think of ARod, his bank account say he knows how to make money.
He was a fantastic baseball player on talent alone. I’m not sure he maximized his career earnings with all the other nonsense he was involved in.
Dude earned $441mil in baseball salaries. Are you serious?
I just said that. I was talking about all the other nonsense he got himself caught up in. He was a tremendous talent and got paid handsomely for his baseball ability. I’m talking about all the other stuff he got caught up in. Specifically how about his dealings with one “Dr” Anthony Bosch.
Those dealings got him suspended and lost a years salary. As well as all the legal fees he pissed away. And some of the shady people he associated with throughout his career off the field. That’s my point on choosing him as an advisor. He was a great baseball talent. Everything else? Not exactly a model citizen.
But as I say that, he has always had his own PR team and managed to at least publicly rebuild a relationship w Rob Manfred. You can look up quite a few less than pleasant exchanges the two of them had a few years back. And he’s calling MLB games on ESPN. All of that despite the numerous shady dealings he’s involved himself in.
So, I suppose from that POV. I could see how he’s not a real bad advisor.
Did you happen to see the new reality show coming to Netflix called Arod vs The Mirror: Up Close and Closer?
Well he’s starting to become a tool like Arod so it was only a matter of time. He will be in New York in a few years.
A-Rod stands alone as far as MLB tools. the only players close to the level of “tool” he has achieved in recent years were teammates for the Steelers last year.
80 grade mlb tool
At least Correa will know how to moisturize now.
Question is can he do a good massage?
Maybe they can direct him to better massage therapists!
And keep him from getting hurt
all the time!
Oh, baby got back!
Massage . . . Please. That big thighed beauty queen put the squeeze on that boy. He’s in deep. Just like his back started hurting again, immediately after coming home from a long road trip. Think about it. Has Correa ever been injured on the road? Was he ever injured before he started shacking up?
I hope the Astros let him go.
To injury prone…..
Astros are letting him go
No they aren’t. I believe they have 3 more years of control.
Whoa!!!! Who expected this!!
I love these posts about players hiring new agencies. The comments are:
40% Wow.
30% Jokes
25% This player sucks
5% Actually about the hiring
i mean, can you blame anyone surpised? this is an odd choice.
FINNALY! A MLB player signs with the same agency that once represented Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz………….
But Ricky, I want to go to The Show!! Thank you sir.
He should have signed with Prestige World Wide. They have a diverse portfolio.
Boats and Hoes
WME Endeavor acquires/merged with IMG, which once was a very established sports agency. Derek Jeter and Tiger Woods were once IMG clients.
Not one word about him playing only one full season and how that will effect salary and negotiations
i think everyone knows that, abd because he’s been effective when healthy this year and plays ab important role on the team id imagine he can leverage a large enough raise.
This might be the most informative thing I’ve ever read here
Maybe he should hire a trainer first so could actually play more than half a season?
Seriously, he’s missed over 30% of Houston’s games the past three seasons and he’s worried about his representation? Maybe all the actual baseball people were just too honest with him.
Rachael Ray, not Rachel. Just saying.