Francisco Rodriguez "never submitted the list of 10 teams"

Good lord. The ineptitude of Omar's regime knows no bounds.

"The contract... includes a limited no-trade clause, meaning he could list 10 teams to which he could veto a deal. But according to two baseball officials with direct knowledge of the situation, Rodriguez’s previous agent, Paul Kinzer, never submitted the list of 10 teams. The Mets thought that once Boras assumed representation, he would scrutinize Rodriguez’s contract and either try to submit a list or perhaps file a grievance that might allow him to do so."

So they were in theory working against a full no-trade clause, more or less. And they had to get him traded before Boras figured this out.

11 months ago SuperT 51 comments 1 recs |

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That actually explains a lot

and also makes me so very very sad

Hey, wait! I'm having one of those things. You know? A headache with pictures?

by KeithsMoustache on Jul 13, 2011 10:54 PM EDT reply actions

Whatever. The deal's already done, so that's that. GTFO

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by Brooklyn Dodgers Mets Fan on Jul 13, 2011 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

I'm confused

So could an agent just refuse to ever submit a list until one was needed?

by EtSuKe on Jul 13, 2011 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

It sounds like Kinzer messed up and never submitted one early on after the initial signing

by FrancoTAU on Jul 13, 2011 11:31 PM EDT up reply actions

So then Boras would be able to submit a new list now (if he had known early enough)?

That doesn’t make sense or seem fair. Bc his agent messes up, Frankie gets the benefit?

by EtSuKe on Jul 13, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions

Sounds like the METS messed up

And never followed up on this clause that could have a major impact on their flexibility. It’s mind-boggling, really.

by SuperT on Jul 13, 2011 11:37 PM EDT up reply actions

The way the Mets do things

not really mind-boggling

by TheKid08 on Jul 13, 2011 11:39 PM EDT up reply actions

That seems all on Omar and his FO

I know it is wrong, but I don’t now, or ever, consider Omar the Mets

I LIKE IKE!

by astromets on Jul 14, 2011 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Well, we can consider the team a thing apart, but the organization as a whole has been a real mess

Remember the brouhaha around Beltran’s surgery. Somebody called the commissioner’s office pissed off about unauthorized surgery, meanwhile Omar had wished Beltran luck that morning, and the front office (Omar’s? Jeff’s?) had submitted workman’s comp paperwork for the operation.

by SuperT on Jul 14, 2011 12:49 AM EDT up reply actions

yeah, Wilpon fucked that one up

I LIKE IKE!

by astromets on Jul 14, 2011 1:08 AM EDT up reply actions

No-trade lists are false hustle

Obviously.

by anonymous on Jul 14, 2011 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

I don't see how the Mets screwed this one up

It’s clearly better for the team if he doesn’t submit a list, leaving them more options of where to potentially trade him.

by Stephen Schmidt on Jul 14, 2011 4:40 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Hmm, good point

Though the fact a no-trade clause was even proffered to begin with might still leave Omar somewhat culpable.

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by sj10689 on Jul 14, 2011 9:10 PM EDT up reply actions

That's so awesome of Sandy to move him before he completed anymore games

and before Boras noticed that his no trade clause was never completed, lol.

by FrancoTAU on Jul 13, 2011 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

Pwnage of Boras is always made of Win.

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by R_Adragna on Jul 13, 2011 11:57 PM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Seconded

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by sj10689 on Jul 14, 2011 12:57 AM EDT up reply actions

Sandy aced contracts at Harvard Law

by James Kannengieser on Jul 14, 2011 12:18 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs

Not that I'm one to credit Omar

but I think as far as the Mets were concerned, if he didn’t submit a list of any teams, then he could be traded to anyone. So why would they remind him to submit the list of teams? It was his agent’s (and his own) blunder, not the Mets’. The twist, I guess, came with him hiring Boras and the potential for that to put a monkeywrench in potential trades if Boras was going to try to retroactively submit a no-trade list (and frankly, I’m dubious as to whether he’d do this and/or whether the union would even back him up on this) – although it sounds like a lot of this is speculation on the part of the Times as there’s no actual evidence that K-Rod was going to submit any teams.

Basically, let’s kill the previous regime for their actual mistakes, not for those that are the products of speculation and innuendo.

by dontstopbelieving on Jul 14, 2011 12:19 AM EDT reply actions 7 recs

Yes indeed

by EricAColucci on Jul 14, 2011 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Retroactive, schmectroactive

The deal’s done, the vest vaporized, and the burden begone. This book’s closed, and no MLBPA’s knocking on Sandy’s door as far as this is concerned.

This is all on Omar and Kinzer – it’s their fault. Oh, and let’s thank them at least for this.

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by sj10689 on Jul 14, 2011 1:03 AM EDT up reply actions

I'm a lot more inclined to agree with your take on this

You don't cheer for the Mets. You drink for the Mets.

by Kevin H on Jul 14, 2011 8:29 AM EDT up reply actions

When would he have wanted to submit the list?

If he had one and only one chance, it would probably have been during this season, to ensure that he’s traded (1) to a contender, (2) in a favorable location, (3) without a reliable closer. If he submits the list April 1, (let alone 2009) he may end up with a bunch of teams who find reliable closers outside of his list. So he should have waited a bit. He probably should have submitted it in May or June, but it sounds like something was going on behind the scenes with Boras at the time. All of this is moot is he could amend the list, but at that point, why have a list?

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 11:17 AM EDT up reply actions

Hey

There is no place for nuance on the interwebs.

by Kepler on Jul 14, 2011 12:34 PM EDT up reply actions

It was quite possibly a game of contractual chicken

With the agent waiting as long as possible to send in the list so it would be in best interests of KRod and Mets not asking for said list so that they could trade to whomever if necessary. When Kinzer was replaced he probably said, “F-it, let Boras figure it out.”

"Sometimes you make a mistake and you get hit in the head." - Eli Manning

by blains2000 on Jul 14, 2011 1:39 PM EDT up reply actions

how did no one notice this before?

reporters are always asking which teams are on the list

I LIKE IKE!

by astromets on Jul 14, 2011 12:32 AM EDT reply actions

No wonder K-Rod shitcanned Kinzer

He was probably too busy running out the door, saying “No givesies backsies” after Omar agreed to the vest and forgot about the whole “I acutally need to submit teams for the clause I negotiated” thing.

by AnthonyR on Jul 14, 2011 12:59 AM EDT reply actions

I guess we can retroacively attribute Kinzer now

to that dreaded mess of an Omar regime, though in this case, he’s more the anti-hero than the antagonist.

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by sj10689 on Jul 14, 2011 1:06 AM EDT up reply actions

thank you Mets MSM

this is very funny. MSM were kinda of helpful.

by nelsonc on Jul 14, 2011 1:20 AM EDT reply actions

I am so glad that Omar is gone

by Shevshevy on Jul 14, 2011 2:16 AM EDT reply actions

Ladies and gentlemen gather round

I think we can all drink to be on the winning end of GM pwnage for a change!

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by GenJackRipper on Jul 14, 2011 2:48 AM EDT reply actions

Finally a team gives a big middle finger to Boras.

by Shinjo Is God on Jul 14, 2011 3:12 AM EDT reply actions

took long enough, MLB should investigate why Boras has so many clients

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Jul 14, 2011 8:48 AM EDT up reply actions

I imagine he has a lot of clients because he is very very good at his job.

Also: does he have a substantially larger client roster than other agents?

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 14, 2011 9:04 AM EDT up reply actions

that's what I mean, he's cornered the market (Seemingly) on the players

that in itself should be investigated! this is ruining baseball to some degree and yes, obviously he’s good at his job…

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Jul 14, 2011 9:52 AM EDT up reply actions

That's crazy.

If players believe that he will best represent their interests, they have every right to hire him. No need to penalize or demonize the man for doing his job particularly well. Some owner always seems to be willing to pay . . .

Additionally, I think he has about 50 MLB clients, based on a quick perusal of the interwebs, so a little less than 7% of the league (using 30 teams/25 man rosters). I have no idea where this puts him in comparison to other agents.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 14, 2011 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

"No need to penalize or demonize the man for doing his job particularly well."

You must not work in sports talk radio or TV!

by anonymous on Jul 14, 2011 10:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Ha yeah.

Statements like that are probably why I failed my “Around the Horn” audition.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 14, 2011 10:15 AM EDT up reply actions

Oh I'm with you there, Catsmeat--Scott Boras

does his job all too well. but he does have seemingly most of the valuable players on the market, thusly pricing them out of reach for most clubs. don’t you think this unbalances baseball a bit?

"Fantasy, reality, science Fiction. Which is which? Who can tell?"

by feslenraster on Jul 14, 2011 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Not really

Any agent worth their salt would be getting top dollar for guys like Carlos Beltran, A-Rod, Teixeira, etc. Those guys should be getting paid well no matter who their agents are. I don’t think you can point at Boras and say “He has a lot of clients who are paid a lot of money” and say that it causes imbalance in baseball. He has a lot of clients who would be paid a lot of money no matter who their agent might be, and some other clients who are paid a lot of money (Barry Zito, I’m looking at you) because some owner/GM was dumb enough to open the purse strings.

When I think of imbalance in baseball, I think of market size, teams with their own revenue enhancements (e.g. teevee stations), attendance, bad GMs, etc. The players’ agents would be way way down my list.

"He's definitely mixing it into his repertoire. That's French for 'repertoire' " - Keith Hernandez

by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright on Jul 14, 2011 11:01 AM EDT up reply actions

I blame the agents

for the steroid era, but that’s a different story. Also, the collective bargaining rules are slanted in favor of the superagents, who are probably as financially powerful, if not more, than most owners. I think most (or a good number) of teams are owned by consortia, right? They’re not “billionaires” down the line.

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 11:13 AM EDT up reply actions

That's baseball's fault for not having a cap.

Something we benefit from. Well, theoretically…

by Kepler on Jul 14, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions

Let's not forget the one time I'm aware of when he overplayed his hand

Jason Varitek rejected arbitration (which was reported to net him around 10 mil) in the fall of ‘08 on Boras’ advice based on Posada’s new contract. No one bit and he ended up signing for 5 mil with player and team options that weren’t picked up the next year.
So…he’s not quite perfect, but real close.

by bjk3047 on Jul 14, 2011 2:48 PM EDT up reply actions

Becasue he's really, really good at his job?

Save Jenrry Mejia!
Keep Reyes, Trade Wilpon.

by Ogre39666 on Jul 14, 2011 6:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Holy malpractice.

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 11:06 AM EDT reply actions

Though wait a minute, here. . .

we don’t know exactly how the contract was structured. Seems like, with the vesting option, you’d want to submit the list later, rather than sooner, unless you could amend it, because you’d want to nix teams with closers, or ensure you’re traded to a contender (though that kind of goes without saying for a big money closer — it’s not liek the Astros would be interested.) You wouldn’t really know how that shapes up until the final season of the deal. It’s possible K-Rod screwed himself by going agent shopping when he should have been ironing out his no trade list. It’s impossible to know how this went down.

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 11:11 AM EDT up reply actions

Do you really think teams (other teams, not our inept mets)

generally allow players that kind of latitude? They grant the clause in negotiations, so as to get the contract signed, but it’s not at all in their interest to let the player wait until the final year of his contract to provide the list, so the player can best fit the clause to the situation. We have no way of confirming, but I’d imagine that other (non-inept) teams lock down the clause shortly after signing, so as to maximize their own leverage if and when the time comes to make a trade.

by SuperT on Jul 14, 2011 3:48 PM EDT up reply actions

I would imagine it's negotiated

i.e., the timing and mechanism. Unless it’s in the contract, it doesn’t seem like there was anything the Mets could have done to force him to provide the list. What were they going to do, sue him for breach of contract?

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 4:06 PM EDT up reply actions

But a player could be traded at any point in his contract

(Delgado, for example.) Do you really think this isn’t something that falls under the dotting of i’s and crossing of t’s – something that’s done as a matter of course at the time the contract is signed? You think there are no-trade clauses that allow, say, a team to come to a player with a trade proposal in the 2nd year of a contract, and the player to consult his private, not-yet-provided list to see if the team is on it? That defies belief.

And – force him to provide the list? He negotiated the right to provide the list, and I’d be very surprised if he negotiated the right to provide the list in the 3rd year. I suppose if they press for the paperwork to be completed and he doesn’t provide it, it would be some sort of forfeit of the clause. (I’m not a lawyer, obvs.)

You seem to be bending very far backwards to not put this lapse on the Mets. I’m kind of perplexed as to why?

by SuperT on Jul 14, 2011 4:21 PM EDT up reply actions

Not "bending over backwards"

Trying to be objective. There could be a variety of reasons why he wouldn’t want to provide the list upfront, or may have negotiated the right not to do so. It would have been optimal for the Mets to push for the “list” sometime during this off-season, I’d think, probably early on, and they had their own transition going on. I doubt either side really wanted to prematurely set any of this in stone in the early years of the contract. Just saying it could be an oversight by either side, or strategic. Really depends on how the contract was structured.

by tmu on Jul 14, 2011 4:46 PM EDT up reply actions