MLBTR Originals

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

• Charlie Wilmoth advocated for a rule change to the waiver claims system because some teams make claims only to supplement their minor league depth, rather than trying to improve their Major League roster. 
• MLBTR contributor Marc Hulet inaugurated a new weekly feature called Prospect Rumor Roundup with the first edition highlighting Jackie Bradley, Jr. of the Red Sox and Jesse Biddle of the Phillies.
• Tim Dierkes explored the possibility of Carlos Villanueva being a trade candidate this summer.
• Steve Adams expects Mike Adams to draw plenty of interest should the Phillies continue their early season struggles.
• Mark Polishuk opines the Mariners could net a decent prospect or two if they decide to deal Kendrys Morales before the trade deadline.
• MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron reported the Rays' stadium situation is not a distraction for their players or manager.
• Steve provided a progress report on the players non-tendered this past offseason who are currently playing in the Majors.
• Zach Links updated the players with a 2014 vesting option and how they can be exercised.
• Charlie asked MLBTR readers whether the Rangers should trade Jurickson Profar to the Cardinals for Oscar Taveras. Just over 52% of you advise GM Jon Daniels to do the deal.
• Tim hosted the MLBTR live chat this week and sifted through the MLBTR Mailbag.
• Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

• Tim Dierkes revised MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings and, while Robinson Cano remains atop the list, seven of the nine other positions changed hands.  
• Tim posited there are several factors weighing in favor of the Padres trading Chase Headley this summer and named some potential suitors for the third baseman.
• Steve Adams explained the service time implications for prospects like Wil Myers, Aaron Hicks, and Jackie Bradley, Jr.
• Speaking of Myers, MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron examined the Rays' decision to let their top prospect start the season at Triple-A.
• Tim issued a Free Agent Stock Watch on Paul Maholm and he is bullish about the possibility of the Braves lefty becoming the best free agent starter available.
• Tim then asked MLBTR readers to chime in on the "best free agent starter" debate. Nearly 10% of you agreed with Tim's stance on Maholm, but the title goes to Josh Johnson, number four on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings, with almost 20% of the vote. 
• Steve asked MLBTR readers to weigh in on who is the "best free agent hitter" available. Not surprisingly, 44% of you tabbed Robinson Cano, the top ranked player on MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
• Charlie Wilmoth asked MLBTR readers which top-ten pick from the 2011 amateur draft will have the most success in the majors. Nearly one-third of you believe the Orioles' Dylan Bundy will be best in class.
• Steve researched waiver claims over the past calendar year using MLBTR's Transaction Tracker and discovered the Blue Jays were involved in 26% of those claims and multiple players have been claimed multiple times.
• Tim listed each team's highest-paid player in 2013.
• Steve continued the Transaction Retrospection series by revisiting the Rangers' acquisition of Mike Adams from the Padres.
• Tim addressed the issue many players face when choosing representation: big agency or small.
• MLBTR was the first to learn Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons changed agencies leaving The Sparta Group for SFX.
• Tim hosted this week's chat.
• Zach Links compiled this week's edition of Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• There are many ways to enjoy MLB Trade Rumors. Here's a refresher on how to use MLBTR.
• Want the latest rumors for your favorite team? Check out MLBTR's team-by-team links for Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds.

Do you prefer the personal service of your local mom-and-pop hardware store, or do you lean toward the advantages offered by a big box corporate establishment?  It's the type of choice we're faced with as consumers every day.  Similarly, baseball players with Major League aspirations must choose their representation, and a major factor is whether they prefer a big or small agency.

Reds right fielder Jay Bruce, who left the Boras Corporation for Sosnick Cobbe Sports when he was still in high school, told me in February, "If you take the baseball part out of it and think about small companies vs. big corporations, there's more personal service at a small company."  Rays righty Jake Odorizzi seems to agree, saying, "I think it's more personable, really, talking to the same guy about everything.  You don't feel like a dollar amount when you're in a smaller firm.  [At a big agency] I'm sure some of them get lost in translation a little bit."

Surely one gets better service at the local hardware store than at a chain, but is that really true of baseball agencies?  Baseball's most powerful and well-known agent, Scott Boras, certainly doesn't think so.  In a February conversation, he explained that having a 75-employee staff frees up more time for him to focus on what's important.  "In my job, I have the ability to focus on certain parts of representing the player: talking with them, dealing with them at the Major League level, talking about their approach, taking care of their needs.  All the administration, all the management of the company, all the things that have to do with the operation of the company are done by other staff members.  Frankly by being a company of size, the top executives can focus on players while they can also afford to hire people to do a lot of the work that is needed to operate a company.  When you have a small company and you have the jack of all trades doing all the things, buying the copy machines, renting the offices, paying the bills, doing all these administrative things, they lose focus that they have on the players."

B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management is one of three full-time employees at his agency, which represented Chipper Jones and currently has Brian McCann, Jonathan Broxton, Chris Sale, and top prospects like Zack Wheeler, Byron Buxton, and Mike Zunino.  Despite running a small agency, Abbott doesn't feel bogged down by administrative tasks.  "We have systems in place for the more administrative portions of our business and client representation.  I would argue that these systems and how they are structured allow for a more substantial and meaningful representation of our clients.  I would also tell you that I am completely informed and included in every decision for each of our clients, because I want to be.  That does not distract me from the more critical parts of the representation process because we feel as if we maintain a manageable number of clients."

Abbott highlighted the importance of his relationships with his clients.  He told me in an email, "The type of relationship I am talking about can ONLY come from spending time with a client and his family.  You cannot make that up with more resources, contracts and clients."  

The extra resources offered by large agencies matter to some players, however.  Mets first baseman Ike Davis, an Octagon client, told me in March, "There's just more people reaching out trying to improve your brand, getting more opportunities and more business ventures.  There's more connections and more hands that are working on stuff."  Boras, who boasted of a $6 million computer system, a 20-man arbitration staff, a scouting system, a sports fitness institute, and psychologists on staff, said, "I think it's very difficult for a boutique agency to offer all the necessary resources an athlete needs.  When you're talking about an agency that has less than ten employees, it would be very difficult for them to manage their Major Leaguers, manage their minor leaguers, and manage the people in the draft, mainly because if all the needs of all the players were to be taken care of – medical, psychological, growth, endorsement, contract, at all different levels."

Furthermore, Boras sees a conflict of interest in a small agency relying on a handful of players for its revenue.  "When you have a small number of players you run into something that's very difficult.  The teams know that one or two particular players are the revenue base, are the ability of existence of that company for the future, and thereby they can't afford to turn down contract proposals.  They can't afford to turn down $60 or 70 million so that the player in six months can make $200 million." 

The client's goals come first, countered Abbott, since the client ultimately calls the shots.  "The bottom line with any agency, big or small, should always be that decisions should be driven by what the client is trying to achieve.  Clients and their desires should always be at the forefront of that process, and those decisions are arrived at after considering all the information about a contract proposal and his/his family's future.  I know we pride ourselves on giving complete information to each player and family so that they can make the best decision for themselves.  That should be true of any agency, regardless of their size."

Both Abbott and Boras say they have intentionally limited the size of their agency. Abbott feels he offers the best of both worlds: "Complete full service and one stop shopping in an environment that thrives upon one on one contact, building relationships and providing extensive information to our clients and their families."  Boras feels his agency could also be bigger, but he would rather be picky.  "We represent players that have very high skill levels.  We have our own scouting system and we're very selective."  The numbers back that up, as the Boras Corporation ranks second in 2012 wins above replacement per Major League player.

The big versus small agency choice will always come down to personal preference.  Big firms will tell prospective clients about their resources and experience, and small groups will highlight personal service.  There seems to be plenty of room for both — by my count, 100 different agencies had at least one big leaguer contribute positive value in 2012.

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week:

• Rays' Executive Vice President Andrew Friedman explained the rationale behind his team's file-to-go arbitration strategy to MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron.
• Chuck also spoke with several Rays who had high praise for both Evan Longoria and the front office for the six-year, $100MM extension the All-Star third baseman received last November.
• Tim Dierkes noted contract extensions are down this last offseason, as opposed to a year ago. Past extensions, however, have prevented several prominent players from becoming would-be free agents this winter.
• Tim listed the top 15 players, according to wins above replacement, who are not locked up by multi-year deals and are instead going year-to-year. Tim then explored the parameters of a possible contract extension for the number three player on that list, Jason Heyward.
• Steve Adams presented another Transaction Retrospection with a look back at the Phillies' acquisition of Hunter Pence from the Astros.
• The Offseason in Review series concluded with Tim's profile of the Rockies and Steve's recap of the Diamondbacks and Giants.
• Tim provided the latest installment of the Why I Chose My Agency series with Daniel Hudson discussing his agent, Andrew Lowenthal of Proformance.
• Tim ranked agencies by total 2012 wins above replacement, 2012 WAR per player, and the number of four-win players.
• Steve revisited the top minor league signings from the 2011-12 offseason.
• Tim asked MLBTR readers when will the Marlins trade Giancarlo Stanton. More than 70% of you believe Stanton will be in a different uniform before Spring Training opens in 2014.
• Jeff Todd asked MLBTR readers whether the Yankees will let Robinson Cano reach free agency. Over 77% of you believe they will extend the top ranked player in MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings.
• Charlie Wilmoth examined the value of making early-season trades versus mid-season deals.
• Tim hosted this week's live chat.
• Zach Links assembled the best of the baseball blogosphere for you in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.
• Here's the schedule for MLBTR's roster of regular features and exactly what to expect from them.

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR during the first week of the 2013 season:

• MLBTR was the first to learn of additional provisions in the Elvis Andrus contract extension regarding full no-trade protection and how his 2023 vesting option could be converted into a player option.
• In the wake of Andrus receiving not one, but two opt-clauses in the aforementioned extension, Tim Dierkes listed other notable deals in which a player obtained an opt out.
• The Andrus extension also prompted Steve Adams to hark back to other April extensions from the past two years.
• MLBTR was the first to report David Aardsma cleared release waviers and became a free agent with roughly ten interested in his services.
• Tim listed the ten largest contracts given to starting pitchers in terms of new money and years.
• Steve reviewed the offseason of the Cardinals, Reds, and Dodgers while Zach Links recapped the Padres.
• The Why I Chose My Agency series continued with MLBTR correspondent B.J. Rains discussing Rex Gary and Jimmy Turner of Turner-Gary Sports, Inc. with Shaun Marcum. 
• Steve presented another installment of the Transaction Retrospection series by revisiting the Doug Fister trade.
• MLBTR contributor Chuck Myron examined how the timing of the blockbuster James Shields–Wil Myers trade affected the Rays. 
• Tim hosted the weekly live chat.
• Zach gathered the best the baseball corner of the web had to offer in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.

A look back at the original reporting and analysis found on MLBTR this past week, as Spring Training came to a close:

• Tim Dierkes updated MLBTR's 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings and Robinson Cano remains atop the list with Adam Wainwright ranked second (the post was published prior to Wainwright agreeing to a five-year contract extension with the Cardinals). 
• MLBTR was the first to learn Chad Qualls made the Marlins' Opening Day roster and Tim Byrdak accepted the $100K retention bonus from the Mets to remain in their organization.  
• Tim presented three installments of the Why I Chose My Agency series: Jamey Carroll on Jonathan Maurer and Mike Montana of Millenium Sports Management, Jake Odorizzi on Jason Wood of Arland Sports, and Mark DeRosa on Lonnie Cooper and Keith Grunewald of CSE.
• The Offseason in Review series continued with Ben Nicholson-Smith's assessment of the Mariners, Tim's review of the Nationals and Cubs, and Zach Links' recap of the Pirates and Brewers. 
• Tim examined which teams, if they struggle early, could become sellers and what trade chips they have to offer.
• Charlie Wilmoth highlighted the hidden gems uncovered in Rule 5 drafts since 1999.
• Tim hosted the MLBTR live chat this week.
• Zach put together the best of the baseball blogosphere in Baseball Blogs Weigh In.