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What Occurred Before The Rule 5 Draft

rafael soriano

Yesterday, I talked about the Rule 5 Draft, which marks the end of the week-long MLB Winter Meetings.  The very beginning of the week is marked by an important decision that very few players have to make: Whether to accept arbitration.  This year, 23 players were offered arbitration, and last Monday at midnight, we were left with the final number of players who accepted: 3.  Their names: Rafael Betancourt (Rockies), Rafael Soriano (offered by the Braves, but recently acquired by the Rays), and Carl Pavano (Twins).  Pavano really killed the streak of Rafael’s.

The Braves had to receive Soriano’s permission to deal him to another team, which was apparently granted by the reliever before he was shipped to Tampa Bay.

Caught in between arbitration decisions and the Rule 5 Draft is notoriously a bunch of wheeling and dealing by MLB organizations.  Many called this year’s Winter Meetings uneventful in that respect, which had a highlight of Curtis Granderson being traded to the Yankees in a three-team deal.  In that trade, the Diamondbacks received Edwin Jackson and Ian Kennedy, and the Tigers added Max Scherzer, Austin Jackson, Phil Coke, and Daniel Schlereth (yes, his father is Mark Schlereth, analyst on ESPN’s NFL Live).

Besides trades, there are also a bunch of free-agent signings.  MLBTradeRumors does a great job at highlighting all of the moves in a read that won’t take you more than a few minutes to breeze through.

Also, Jon Heyman, one of the reporters who called these Winter Meetings rather “uneventful”, thought that the agents did a great job placing their free agent players in smart positions.  He applauded Legacy Sports Group for getting their client, Brad Penny, a $7.5 million deal + potential of $1.5 million more through incentives, WMG for locking up $29.75 million on Randy Wolf‘s contract, and threw in some love for Larry Reynolds (represents LaTroy Hawkins – 2 years, $7.5 million) and Barry Meister (represents Brandon Lyon – 3 years, $15 million).

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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