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Contract Negotiation MLB Teams

What If..

What if spending a lot of money on individual players did not directly correlate with how well MLB teams performed in the 2006 season [salary vs performance | ben fry]? What if the 2006 New York Yankees may be the worst on the field return on investment in team sports history [Will The Yankees Success Hurt Agents?]? And what if six years ago, MLB teams collectively paid $3.7 billion to players while 20 of the 30 teams ended up losing money [Spending frenzy could be a mistake – USATODAY.com]?

Obviously, the first thing one would infer is that in 2007, many teams would not spend as much money looking at the historical precedents. Athletes would get paid less yearly and baseball agents would take a smaller cut. But what great industry is based on logic? Definitely not baseball…and the Supreme Court really loves messing cuddling in bed with baseball (See: Baseball’s antitrust exemption status).

So what if major league execs decided to ignore all of the recent trends. Well then we would have the 2007 free-agent climate, where the $3.7 billion mark of six years ago will be left in the dust. Sounds good to you and me, unless of course, major league teams end up throwing away all their money in posting fees within the next couple of years (if I had $51 million dollars sitting around, I would give it to the Seibu Lions as well). And don’t try to get your hands on any players from Japan, because Scott Boras is already busy eating your children. Plus, we are really screwed if Hugo Chavez decides to restrict Venezuelan players from participating in major league baseball [Game over? Politics may pitch baseball into a crisis].

But overall, there should be no complaints from baseball agents. Selig says the league is doing fine, a new labor deal was signed ahead of time, and players continue to boost their salaries. Individual teams may be making mistakes. Here is the big ethical/longterm decision: Will you exploit these mistakes and get your client an overpaid contract where a team may lose trust in your business or will you get fair value for your players and build relationships with upper management?

Who wants some Hugo Chavez video with an English voice dubbed over it? I do. I do. [YouTube – Hugo Chavez calls Bush the Devil].

-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.