I run across new agency web sites all the time, and when I do, I make sure to add them to our always growing database of Agency web site links. The latest edition is Jet Sports Management, which is located in my own state of Florida and is strictly a baseball agency. Its founder is B.B. Abbott, who went to law school at Stetson University and practiced law for four years before starting up Jet Sports in 1999. Ten years since founding the company, Abbott has over thirty clients, which include Chipper Jones, Brian McCann, and a kid who I think will have a successful MLB career: Mat Gamel. Jet also represents Anthony Swarzak, who went to my high school (Nova High), and is one of the top prospects in the Twins organization.
Recently, Abbott was interviewed by MVN blog, Chop-n-Change. It is a solid, short Q&A. Here is the question I picked out to post:
Q: In recent years, a number of players, like Brian McCann and Evan Longoria, have signed long-term contracts very early in their careers, buying out their arb years and their first few years of free agency. Scott Boras is known among fans for not doing deals like that. How do you counsel a young player regarding a deal like that? Do you think the practice is likely to continue increasing?
A: As I mentioned earlier, the agent ultimately is bound to follow the direction of the client. It is my job to show any talented young player what he is potentially giving up by signing a longer term deal.
With Brian [McCann], I showed him what he would potentially be giving up and it was a significant sum of money. If my only focus was to get him the most money possible, this deal would have made no sense. But Brian was coming off of a injury that could have been career threatening in another scenario, and this deal allowed him to be set for life by the age of 29. He knew when he signed this that he would possibly be leaving millions of dollars on the table. But, he loved the city and the team, and he wanted to secure his future. He accomplished his goals, and like I said, it made him happy. It allowed him to focus on his game and improving himself as a baseball player. We always talk about the effect (mentally) that this deal had on his game. We firmly believe that it allowed him to relax and be who he is on the field.
One reply on “B.B. Abbott of Jet Sports Management Talks Braves Baseball”
Refreshing to read about a mature and yet professional approach. Baseball is still a game to most fans and the huge sums we are willing to shower the stars with seems way out of line when the players/agents seem greedy (Boras rep). Thanks for maintaining some integrity and sensibly representing your clients. The fans always lose if management or the players get too carried away.
Atlanta seems to focus on a happy medium…thank goodness they are not the Yankees….they have it all wrong.