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2011 MLB Draft: Pittsburgh Pirates Bargaining With Boras

The Pittsburgh Pirates will not only have their hands full negotiating with Scott Boras to sign #1 overall pick Gerrit Cole, the club will also aim to come to terms with Texas high school outfielder Josh Bell, who was selected by the Pirates with the #61 overall pick of the 2011 MLB Draft.  Bell could actually turn out to be a tougher sign than Cole; he has been telling teams for quite some time that he planned on going to the University of Texas.  Call it an extra-hard commitment.

Not everyone bought what Bell/Boras was selling.  Cameron Smith of Yahoo! Sports believes that it was a negotiating ploy developed by Boras to drive up the price for Bell’s services.  While Bell did fall out of the first round, he was still selected rather early, and is likely to command first round money (if he ends up signing with the Pirates).  But maybe Boras’ master plan did not work so well after all.  If he was trying to dissuade small budget teams from taking him, he did not do a great job; I do not think anyone would consider the Pirates to be a team looking to create a robust payroll.

Senior Vice President & General Counsel for the Pirates, Larry Silverman, is going to have a fun couple of months dealing with Mr. Boras.

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.

2 replies on “2011 MLB Draft: Pittsburgh Pirates Bargaining With Boras”

Look how the Pirates have spent in recent drafts before writing. They may employ a small market strategy at the Major League level but have been as aggressive and liberal (with regards to spending) as the big boys in recent year.

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