Infielder Ha-Seong Kim and the Tampa Bay Rays are in agreement on a two-year, $29 million contract that includes an opt-out after the first season, sources tell ESPN. Kim is coming off shoulder surgery but is expected to return in May and slated to take over at shortstop.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2025

EastCoastAgNc said:

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The infield market is even slower than most. Beyond big stars Bregman and Alonso, these INF remain free: Kim, Turner, Kiké, Polanco, Iglesias (OMG), Rizzo, France, DeJong, Moncada, N. Lopez, Merrifield, Drury, Rodgers, Tellez, Madrigal, Duffy, Gurriel, Ahmed, L. Urias, Carpenter

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 29, 2025

This also plays against Alex. In the case of spring training injury, there's plenty of guys to pick up for cheap

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Yup, if that's the strategy it's likely going to backfire on him.

Prosperdick said:

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EastCoastAgNc said:

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The infield market is even slower than most. Beyond big stars Bregman and Alonso, these INF remain free: Kim, Turner, Kiké, Polanco, Iglesias (OMG), Rizzo, France, DeJong, Moncada, N. Lopez, Merrifield, Drury, Rodgers, Tellez, Madrigal, Duffy, Gurriel, Ahmed, L. Urias, Carpenter

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 29, 2025

This also plays against Alex. In the case of spring training injury, there's plenty of guys to pick up for cheap

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Yup, if that's the strategy it's likely going to backfire on him.

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I would be shocked if that's his strategy.

anyone who picks him up that way better not expect him to contribute much before August. He cant hit till June even when he goes through Spring Training

gigemJTH12 said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Bonnettecj1 said:

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If I'm Bregman, I'm seriously considering a change in representation. Boras has completely screwed him.

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Or Bregman did it to himself. We will never know unless he changes his agent.

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is it possible to change agents while under contract?

do they have to buy them out the full amount?

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A player can "fire" an agent at any time and for any reason. They aren't under contract with them. An agent gets a percentage of the deal they negotiate for the player, and then there's ancillary things like marketing deals and possibly investments and financial planning. But if a player fires an agent after their contract is executed, the agent will get the money owed to them.

Boras is so big he may have some kind of clause that allows him to recoup expenses - but usually that's just part of the expectation of what an agency is going to provide a player to help them across all facets like the things I mentioned above. I would be surprised if that's the case though, and I doubt Boras worries much about getting fired to be honest.


I hate to defend the guy because I'm no fan of him and think he's a net negative for the game - but the fact is he's the Michael Jordan of sports agents. There's no one across the industry on his level and his reputation is what it is for a reason. It does seem that he's made some missteps the last few years, but those pale in comparison to his wins, and we as fans are always going to look at him with tainted glasses. Plus we don't have all the information, regardless of what gets leaked out.

The guy got the biggest contract in sports history just a few weeks ago - and he'll probably do it again in a year or two.

The latest on Alex Bregman:

(@JonHeyman)pic.twitter.com/zDyESOAkIT

— SleeperMLB (@SleeperMLB) January 29, 2025

Stream of conscious rambling...

The Cincinnati Reds are finalizing a trade to acquire left-handed reliever Taylor Rogers from the San Francisco Giants, sources tell me and @kileymcd. Rogers, 34, is owed $12 million this season and adds a late-inning arm to Cincinnati’s bullpen. On the news: @ByRobertMurray.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2025

so it's been 4 days since the Bregman-back-to-the-Astros smoke started

and nothing has happened

looks like the front office is holding fast

W said:

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so it's been 4 days since the Bregman-back-to-the-Astros smoke started

and nothing has happened

looks like the front office is holding fast

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Who knows what's happening behind the curtain...I wish he would just make a decision one way or another.

W said:

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so it's been 4 days since the Bregman-back-to-the-Astros smoke started

and nothing has happened

looks like the front office is holding fast

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Front office should continue holding and not answering Boras's texts

We can sign players in the mean time, and go over the tax if Alex signs

If he doesn't sign, oh well, evaluate any needs at trade deadline…but our team as constructed is still one of the top ranks in the league

EastCoastAgNc said:

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W said:

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so it's been 4 days since the Bregman-back-to-the-Astros smoke started

and nothing has happened

looks like the front office is holding fast

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Who knows what's happening behind the curtain...I wish he would just make a decision one way or another.

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But why though?

It's not hindering the organization.

Sex Panther said:

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gigemJTH12 said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Bonnettecj1 said:

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If I'm Bregman, I'm seriously considering a change in representation. Boras has completely screwed him.

---

Or Bregman did it to himself. We will never know unless he changes his agent.

---

is it possible to change agents while under contract?

do they have to buy them out the full amount?

---

A player can "fire" an agent at any time and for any reason. They aren't under contract with them. An agent gets a percentage of the deal they negotiate for the player, and then there's ancillary things like marketing deals and possibly investments and financial planning. But if a player fires an agent after their contract is executed, the agent will get the money owed to them.

Boras is so big he may have some kind of clause that allows him to recoup expenses - but usually that's just part of the expectation of what an agency is going to provide a player to help them across all facets like the things I mentioned above. I would be surprised if that's the case though, and I doubt Boras worries much about getting fired to be honest.


I hate to defend the guy because I'm no fan of him and think he's a net negative for the game - but the fact is he's the Michael Jordan of sports agents. There's no one across the industry on his level and his reputation is what it is for a reason. It does seem that he's made some missteps the last few years, but those pale in comparison to his wins, and we as fans are always going to look at him with tainted glasses. Plus we don't have all the information, regardless of what gets leaked out.

The guy got the biggest contract in sports history just a few weeks ago - and he'll probably do it again in a year or two.

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I have to wonder if Boras' reputation is starting to be a double edged sword though. If GMs and owners are starting to negotiate harder against his clients because he is supposedly so good at making teams negotiate against themselves and other crap like that. At some point, I could see him going into negotiations at a disadvantage because nobody believes anything he is saying, and teams are expecting to be jerked around and double crossed just because of who he is.

txags92 said:

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Sex Panther said:

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gigemJTH12 said:

---

Mathguy64 said:

---

Bonnettecj1 said:

---

If I'm Bregman, I'm seriously considering a change in representation. Boras has completely screwed him.

---

Or Bregman did it to himself. We will never know unless he changes his agent.

---

is it possible to change agents while under contract?

do they have to buy them out the full amount?

---

A player can "fire" an agent at any time and for any reason. They aren't under contract with them. An agent gets a percentage of the deal they negotiate for the player, and then there's ancillary things like marketing deals and possibly investments and financial planning. But if a player fires an agent after their contract is executed, the agent will get the money owed to them.

Boras is so big he may have some kind of clause that allows him to recoup expenses - but usually that's just part of the expectation of what an agency is going to provide a player to help them across all facets like the things I mentioned above. I would be surprised if that's the case though, and I doubt Boras worries much about getting fired to be honest.


I hate to defend the guy because I'm no fan of him and think he's a net negative for the game - but the fact is he's the Michael Jordan of sports agents. There's no one across the industry on his level and his reputation is what it is for a reason. It does seem that he's made some missteps the last few years, but those pale in comparison to his wins, and we as fans are always going to look at him with tainted glasses. Plus we don't have all the information, regardless of what gets leaked out.

The guy got the biggest contract in sports history just a few weeks ago - and he'll probably do it again in a year or two.

---

I have to wonder if Boras' reputation is starting to be a double edged sword though. If GMs and owners are starting to negotiate harder against his clients because he is supposedly so good at making teams negotiate against themselves and other crap like that. At some point, I could see him going into negotiations at a disadvantage because nobody believes anything he is saying, and teams are expecting to be jerked around and double crossed just because of who he is.

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I've thought that too...it's similar to when Luhnow would just fleece teams over and over to the point where teams were gun shy to deal with us and wondered why we wanted one of their prospects so badly.

You'd hope Bregman would be smart enough to recognize it but ego almost always gets in the way...I think they fixate on another player they feel they are head and shoulders better than and think "why does that guy get a bigger contract than me???"

yes, Matt Chapman in this case who got 6 years $151 MM

AggiEE said:

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W said:

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yes, Matt Chapman in this case who got 6 years $151 MM

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Chapman was better than Bregman in 2024

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And that Chapman contract was seen as a wild overpay at the time (that was before Soto, of course).

Did he just say Bregman is a phenomenal base runner?

f1ghtintexasaggie said:

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lol he'd be eaten alive by the bleacher bums by June.

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He would be absolutely thrashed by the new york media.

Closer Carlos Estévez and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a free agent contract, sources tell ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 29, 2025

You don't have to be fast to be a good baserunner.

I'm fully aware

He's a pretty high IQ baserunner. Gets great reads on balls often.

I had a coworker that would get quotes from contractors, go do the work, then on the back end beat up the contractors over every little thing until they agreed to cut something off of his invoice. One day, he was looking over some bid pricing I had gotten from a laboratory, and was upset because the pricing he had gotten from the same lab a week or two before was much higher. He had no idea that they were marking all their bids to him up ahead of time so they would have something to give away when he inevitably called up complaining.

I can't help but feel like Boras has to be suffering from the same kind of reaction from GMs and owners.

Mathguy64 said:

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Listening to MLB radio today they think opt outs are hurting players.

Owners and GM sign a guy to 3/90. But after a year he opts out. He's basically getting to renegotiate his contract after one year if he's good and has no oenalty if he's bad.

I kind of agree. Get rid of the year one opt out. Make a player stay at least 2 before he can get out.

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I'm missing the part where that's hurting the player rather than franchises. It's like saying no trade clauses are hurting players who are able to negotiate one for themselves.

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/free-agent-third-baseman-alex-bregman-reportedly-sitting-on-6-year-contract-offer-from-toronto-blue-jays-as-houston-astros-hold-out-01jjsf7yd6pa
Within, Bob says the blue jays have a 6 year offer out to Alex, but the Astros aren't intimidated because of the high tax differences between Canada and Texas (unless they were to go over $180m).

Faustus said:

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Mathguy64 said:

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Listening to MLB radio today they think opt outs are hurting players.

Owners and GM sign a guy to 3/90. But after a year he opts out. He's basically getting to renegotiate his contract after one year if he's good and has no oenalty if he's bad.

I kind of agree. Get rid of the year one opt out. Make a player stay at least 2 before he can get out.

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I'm missing the part where that's hurting the player rather than franchises. It's like saying no trade clauses are hurting players who are able to negotiate one for themselves.

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They wonder if teams aren't signing players who want an opt out in year 1. Specifically they were talking about Alonso.