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Robinson Cano

East Links: Grilli, Cano, Webster, Rendon

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A pair of top prospects made their big league debuts yesterday, as Allen Webster started the second game of a double-header for the Red Sox and Anthony Rendon made his debut at third base for the Nationals with Ryan Zimmerman on the DL. Here's more on each, as well as some other news from baseball's Eastern divisions…

  • Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer chronicles Jason Grilli's ascension from the Phillies' Triple-A affiliate to Pirates closer. In 2011, the Phils called up six relievers instead of Grilli, despite his dominant numbers. Grilli had a clause in his contract stating that if another MLB team wanted him on their 25-man roster, the Phillies had to either call him up or release him. Pittsburgh scouts took notice of Grilli, called the Phillies, and Philadelphia elected to release him so he could sign with the Buccos.
  • Sonia Cruz, the spokeswoman for Robinson Cano's foundation, appeared in the latest round of Biogenesis documents, according to TJ Quinn and Mike Fish of ESPN. Cruz's name was only connected to a pair of $300 payments, which she said were for her own weight loss interests. Mark Feinsand of the New York Daily News reports that MLB sources told him there was no link between Cano and Biogenesis. When he heard about the latest report, a surprised Cano told reporters, including Feinsand, "It's got nothing to do with me."
  • Brian MacPherson of the Providence Journal examines the number of starting pitchers needed by the Red Sox in each season over the past decade and notes that the evidence suggests Webster will be back this season. MacPherson also adds that preliminary research indicates this is the earliest the Red Sox have ever turned to seven different starting pitchers in any season.
  • The timing of Rendon's call-up suggests that the Nationals may be more willing to let him remain with the club all season than they've let on, writes Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. Kilgore points out that Rendon has spent 20 days in the minor leagues, meaning his free agency has been delayed by a full year now.
  • Jake Arrieta is at a crossroads with the Orioles, in the mind of the Baltimore Sun's Dan Connolly. At 27 years of age, Arrieta has passed the "prospect" stage but has yet to find the consistency to convert his above-average repertoire of pitches into consistent success. Connolly notes that it's not wise to trade someone with Arrieta's talent while his value is so low, but moving him to the bullpen hardly maximizes his value.
  • Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that the Jay-Z's cerficiation process won't be complete anytime soon (Twitter link). As expected, CAA's Brodie Van Wagenen will handle Robinson Cano's extension talks.

AL East Notes: Bradley Jr., Blue Jays, Jay-Z

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MLBTR would like to take a moment to send our deepest condolences out to the victims of the Boston explosions today. If you're in the Boston area and would like to help by donating blood, Mass General Hospital in Boston is accepting walk-ins beginning at 7am tomorrow morning. With apologies for how trivial the following will seem, here's some baseball-related news out of Boston and the rest of the AL East…

  • Jackie Bradley Jr. is mired in an 0-for-20 slump, but the Red Sox were prepared for the possibility of such struggles when they decided to bring the 22-year-old north with the team, writes WEEI.com's Alex Speier. Manager John Farrell said Bradley has dealt with the adversity as well as the team could have expected.
  • Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos told Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca that he's talking with other teams about an upgrade to his middle infield but doesn't anticipate a deal in the near future due to rival GMs' asking prices (Twitter link).
  • Jay-Z's Roc Nation Sports company will not work with any sports talent agencies other than CAA Sports, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). The agency will hire established agents in multiple sports as well as have its own employees (link). Jay-Z entered the world of sports representation in a big way in recent weeks, taking Robinson Cano away from Scott Boras.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Poll: Will The Yankees Extend Robinson Cano?

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A year ago today, MLBTR asked its readers to weigh in on whether Cole Hamels would reach an extension with the Phillies. The result was a virtual deadlock, with 50.85% of voters saying that Hamels would not re-up with the Phils, and would instead enter free agency as perhaps the top player available. It took a while, but Hamels ultimately did reach a massive extension with Philadephia. 

Now, we want your opinion on this year’s biggest would-be free agent. The game’s best second baseman, 30-year-old Robinson Cano, was an easy choice for MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes at the top of the 2014 Free Agent Power Rankings. Cano promises to hit the market as a franchise player in his prime, unless the Yankees extend him first.

The Yankees are obviously interested in doing just that, and indeed reportedly made Cano a “significant offer” earlier this year. Shortly thereafter, of course, we learned that Cano had fired agent Scott Boras in favor of CAA and Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports. While there are a range of opinions on the meaning of the switch, some interpret it as a clear sign that Cano intends to stay in pinstripes.

On the other hand, the Yankees are reportedly determined to get the team’s 2014 salary under the $189MM luxury tax threshold. With Cano’s relative youth, consistent excellence, and outstanding record of durability portending a long deal at a high average annual value, it could be a challenge for the Yanks to structure an extension with Cano that allows the team to meet its salary goal.

 

Latest On Robinson Cano

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Robinson Cano found an agent who is perhaps more powerful than Scott Boras, dropping Boras for Jay-Z this week.  While it was previously suggested CAA Baseball's Brodie Van Wagenen would handle all of the contract negotiations, Jay-Z will be "intimately involved," Van Wagenen tells Jon Heyman of CBS Sports.  Heyman feels that Cano, next offseason's top free agent, has "at least tipped his hand that he wants to stay in the Bronx."  

Boras, who never brokered a contract for Cano during their time together, flew to New York Tuesday to try to meet with his former client, writes Heyman.  Notes Heyman, "As of late Wednesday morning, he had not heard a word back from Cano, who is notoriously non-confrontational."  Perhaps players just aren't keen on making the breakup call to Boras.  Former Boras advisee Jay Bruce admitted to me in February that his mom made that call with his contact at the agency, though it was certainly a different situation since Bruce was a teenager and did not have a relationship with Boras himself.  Cano did not want to address his avoidance of his former agent, responding to the question with, "No answer on that one, how's that?" according to David Lennon of Newsday.

Cano's teammate Mark Teixeira, also a former Boras client, explained to reporters why some players might prefer other representation.  He told reporters, including Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, "Everyone knows Scott likes to control everything.  He has a financial-services part of his business, he has a sports-performance training side of his business, he has a mental-performance side of his business. He has everything that you could possibly do; he takes care of for you if you choose. It doesn’t necessarily benefit every player. Some guys need that, some guys want that. But the guys that want to take control of their lives and make their own decisions, it’s not ideal for."  

Does Jay-Z have a conflict of interest, given his longstanding association with the Yankees?  Certainly Boras doesn't sport a Yankees cap in public.  Publicist Ron Berkowitz told Heyman, "Jay-Z's a New York guy, but he's going to represent his guys, and it's going to be about where the player wants to go."

Latest On Robinson Cano

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Robinson Cano's decision to fire Scott Boras yesterday in favor of Jay-Z's newest venture — Roc Nation Sports — caused quite the stir in the media. Earlier today, Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports wrote that Boras was "blindsided" by Cano's decision. Here's more on the situation…

  • Rosenthal corrects his earlier statement that Boras will receive commission on Cano's $15MM salary in 2013 by noting that Cano's former agent Bobby Barad will receive that commission (Twitterlinks).
  • Jay-Z is still waiting to be formally certified as an agent, writes Rosenthal.  The rapper is one of three representatives from his company, Roc Nation, to receive temporary limited certification.  Meanwhile, Brodie Van Wagenen of CAA is the only person currently certified to represent Cano.
  • Boras was caught off-guard by Cano's decision to change representation, writes Andy McCullough of the Star-Ledger.  “Robinson is a fine guy. Obviously between the 20th of March and the start of the season, he received a lot of information. Obviously a lot of promises. A lot of things came his way. I don’t know specifically what they are. But this happened very, very quickly," said the agent.
  • While this is indisputably a big blow for Boras, he can argue that it's a different situation because of Jay-Z and he wasn't dumped for another baseball agent, writes Ken Davidoff of the New York Post.

Steve Adams contributed to this post.

AL East Notes: Orioles, Victorino, Cano

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The Orioles made a surprising playoff run in 2012, but SB Nation's Rob Neyer can see why people question their ability to repeat. He argues that the Orioles were merely average in terms of runs scored and runs allowed in 2012, and expecting players like Brian Roberts and Nolan Reimold to perform better than they have in years is going to invite critics. Here's more out of the AL East…

  • Shane Victorino inked a three-year, $39MM deal with the Red Sox this offseason, but he told Andy Martino of the New York Daily News that he turned down a bigger offer from the Indians to join the Boston-New York rivalry. Victorino says that Cleveland offered $44MM over four years, but his previous experiences playing at Fenway Park and the intensity of the fans swayed him to leave some money on the table.
  • Scott Boras was "blindsided" by Robinson Cano's decision to switch agents yesterday, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Cano, who still must pay Boras the commission on 2013's $15MM salary, had signed a representation agreement with Boras as recently as March 20. Brodie Van Wagenen, who will be Cano's primary baseball representative with CAA/Roc Nation Sports, said he wouldn't publicly discuss a new opening for Cano to sign a contract, but noted that Cano loves New York and would like to stay.
  • There are still roadblocks to getting a new deal with the Yankees worked out for Cano and his new representatives, writes Joel Sherman of the New York Post. Sherman wonders about conflicts of interest surrounding Jay-Z — a lifelong Yankee fan who will perform at Yankee Stadium this year — negotiating against the team. He also wonders whether or not the Yanks will want to give another player that's on the wrong side of 30 a $200MM contract.

Quick Hits: Red Sox, Posey, Cano, Indians

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Pirates GM Neal Huntington and Rays GM Andrew Friedman claim that their decisions to leave Gerrit Cole (Pirates) and Wil Myers (Rays) in the minors to start the 2013 season were motivated not by service-time concerns, but by those players' readiness, MLB.com's Jonathan Mayo reports. Mayo says the scouts he's spoken to can't blame Huntington for sending Cole to Triple-A Indianapolis, since Cole has very limited experience at that level. Friedman, meanwhile, says that he needs to be sure a player is ready before having him compete in the tough AL East. "The AL East will expose very quickly any weaknesses that you have," he says. "So when we bring someone here, we need to feel that he's ready to step in and help us win right away."

Red Sox GM Ben Cherington, in contrast, says his organization promoted Jackie Bradley Jr. to start the season — even though doing so could affect Bradley's timetable for free agency — because Bradley is one of the organization's 25 best players, Scott Lauber of the Boston Herald reports. "At the end, if there was that level of confidence that he was part of the best 25-man roster, then we felt he should be on the team. That’s part of our responsibility to the fans and to the organization," Cherington says. In addition, Cherington notes, the Red Sox begin their season with plenty of games within their division, and it's especially crucial that they do well in those games. Their first four series against the Yankees, Blue Jays, Orioles and Rays, all AL East opponents. Here are more notes from around the majors.

  • The Giants have locked up catcher Buster Posey with an eight-year, $159MM extension, but in Keith Law's latest podcast for ESPN, Posey's agent, Jeff Berry of Creative Artist Agency (CAA), contemplates what might have happened if Posey and the Giants had decided to go year-to-year through the arbitration system. Berry argues that Posey's situation would have been unique, because Posey has won an MVP and a Rookie of the Year award and has played for two World Series-winning teams, but after missing much of 2011 to injury, he doesn't have particularly impressive career bulk counting stats, which are a factor in arbitration hearings. "The challenge, first and foremost, in the arb system was looking at, 'Wow, this guy has accomplished things that no one else has ever done, but [among superstars in the arbitration process] he's also played less than anyone,'" Berry says.
  • Reacting to Robinson Cano's decision to fire Scott Boras and hire CAA and the rapper Jay-Z as his representation, one agent says that "Jay-Z doesn’t know s— about baseball," Michael O'Keeffe of the New York Daily News writes. "You don’t hire a real estate agent to do neurosurgery," the agent continues. O'Keeffe goes on to note that, of course, Jay-Z will not be negotiating a deal for Cano, who will be a free agent after the season. That duty will go to CAA, which represents Posey and a number of other MLB stars. Here are more reactions to Cano's agency switch.
  • This year's Indians are excited about the team's offseason spending spree, Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. "Hats off to Chris Antonetti and the Dolan family, after losing 94 games [in 2012] they very easily could have folded up shop and said, 'Let’s wait for a few more young kids to develop and see what we’ve got,'" says Jason Giambi, who signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland in February. Instead, he says, "[t]hey went out and got some guys and spent some money. They put together a good ballclub, now we have to answer the bell and play good."
  • The Rangers had scouts watching pitcher Joba Chamberlain in spring training, but the Rangers and Yankees never ended up discussing a deal, George A. King III and Zach Braziller of the New York Post write. King and Braziller note that Chamberlain impressed the Yankees with a spring training performance that included nine strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings.

Reactions To Robinson Cano’s Agency Move

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If Robinson Cano's decision to leave agent Scott Boras was a shocker, then it's hard to find a word to describe his new choice for representation.  Rapper Jay-Z, who is a minority owner of the Brooklyn Nets, will be a part of Cano's team with his Roc Nation Sports marketing venture.  While the actual negotiating on Cano's next deal will be handled by the folks at CAA, it's a surprise to see Jay-Z leap from the pages of Hoops Rumors to MLBTR.  Here's more on Cano's big move..

  • It remains to be seen whether the change in representation will benefit the Yankees in their quest to re-sign Cano, writes Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  Affiliating with Jay-Z’s new company infers that Cano wants to market himself outside of baseball and that would best be accomplished in New York or Los Angeles.  The Dodgers, of course, are expected to pursue Cano if he hits the open market.
  • Yankees execs are playing today's news low key, but they know that it improves their chances of retaining the second baseman, tweets Joel Sherman of the New York Post.  A person in the know tells Sherman (link) that that Cano's recent meet and greet with LeBron James was set up by Jay-Z as part of pitch to woo him away from Boras.
  • An ex-teammate of Cano believes that the decision to partner up with Jay-Z means that he'll be staying in pinstripes, tweets Jon Heyman of CBSSports.com.
  • It may be true that the move makes him more likely to stay in New York, but Rob Neyer of SB Nation cautions everyone not to make too much of it.  To Neyer, the change is about Cano looking to be known to a non-baseball audience.
  • A source close to Cano told John Harper of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) that Cano wants a big payday but also wants to stay a Yankee.  The 30-year-old didn't see that happening with Boras, who would want to hunt down the biggest contract possible.  The source stressed that Cano isn't comfortable with so much attention on his impending free agency and wants to get a deal done "sooner rather than later'' (link).
  • Barring something unexpected, Cano is going to be a Yankee for a long time, maybe for the rest of his career, writes Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports.  Meanwhile, the move could be a game changer in the agency game.  While Boras has lost some big names in recent years and got less than expected for Kyle Lohse and Michael Bourn this offseason, he is the Jay-Z of baseball agents, Passan writes.
  • CAA's Brodie Van Wagenen, who will serve as the direct representative for Cano says that his aim is to keep Cano's focus on baseball, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com.  "Our mandate is to minimize his distractions while helping him achieve his goals on and off the field."
  • Cano declined to speak when asked if he would comment on Boras reportedly being caught unaware of his decision to switch agencies, Hoch writes.
  • Buster Olney of ESPN.com (on Twitter) sees Cano working out an extension with the Yankees after the agency switch.  

Robinson Cano Fires Boras; Hires CAA

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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.

West Notes: Dodgers, Wells, Athletics, Angels

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The nine top names to watch in Los Angeles baseball in 2013 include Chase Headley and Robinson Cano, argues Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. Headley could be an in-season trade target for the Dodgers, and Cano will likely be connected to the Dodgers as a free agent next winter. Shaikin also suggests that if the Dodgers don't do well in 2013, they could try to hire Rays GM Andrew Friedman. Here are more notes from the West divisions.

  • The Mariners' decision to keep Jason Bay and designate Casper Wells for assignment doesn't make sense, Jeff Sullivan of USS Mariner says. Sullivan notes that Wells is younger, had four years of team control remaining, and has recently been the better player on both offense and defense — and the Mariners will likely lose him for virtually nothing. "Wells, probably, is going to end up getting traded to a team with a thin outfield in exchange for a non-roster barely-prospect," Sullivan says. Sullivan also points out that Wells was one of the key players in the Doug Fister deal with the Tigers. The Tigers already looked like clear winners in that trade, but it's even clearer now.
  • The Giants' signing of Buster Posey to an eight-year, $159MM contract demonstrates the inequities between the Giants and the Athletics, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The Giants have opposed the Athletics' move to San Jose. "It's more than mildly ironic that the Giants granted a single player a contract that exceeds the A's entire payroll by a factor of three," says San Jose City Councilman Sam Liccardo.
  • The trade of Vernon Wells to the Yankees gave the Angels additional payroll flexibility, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com writes. The deal leaves the Angels about $6MM under the luxury tax threshold, Gonzalez reports.
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