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Arbitration MLB Players Sports Agents

Chad Cordero Teaches Us An Important Arbitration Lesson

On February 18th, I recognized that it is arbitration season with a post about Miguel Cabrera’s victory for the players against the owners after they had gone 0-4 thus far in actual hearings [‘Tis Arbitration Season]. More importantly for this post, I referenced an article I wrote a year ago titled: Arbitration…good or bad? Hey agents, let’s start remembering our fiduciary duty to our clients, which includes caring about our clients’ psyches.

So where does Chad Cordero fit into my little rant? Chad Cordero is represented by Larry Reynolds, President of Reynolds Sports Management. Reynolds has a very impressive list of clients, but after looking at Cordero’s statement to MLB.com, some players may decide to re-evaluate the service he provides.

Chad Cordero had an option of signing a 2-year deal with the Washington Nationals or taking his case to arbitration in an attempt to re-evaluate the amount of money that he will earn this upcoming season and become a free-agent thereafter. This is what Cordero had to say about the matter:

“I don’t know why I didn’t sign [the two-year deal],” Cordero said. “I wanted to. The Players Association thought I had a good case and they wanted see how it turned out. Even if I lost my arbitration case, I wasn’t going to lose. It’s still a lot of money. It’s still more money than I ever would have thought [I’d make].” [Notes: Patterson, Ayala making strides].

Your client expresses that he wants to sign a contract and you, as his agent, decide to go against his wishes and convince him to go through with an arbitration hearing. Are you looking out for your clients interests or your gain? How did this happen?

Cordero was happy with the offer that the Nationals originally presented. Maybe he wanted to remain on good terms with the team. It is a possibility that he did not want to be subject to whatever was said in the arbitration hearing. Whatever his reasoning was, it seems that in the principal/agent relationship, the agent should give advice to the client, but if Cordero truly did not want to go ahead with arbitration, then Mr. Reynolds should not have pushed him.

Then again, the client does have the final say. So, in the end, Cordero must have chosen to go through arbitration himself.

-Darren Heitner

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.

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