He makes the bold decision to represent himself now that he is a free agent. It may not sound like a big deal but....it is incredibly rare. David Robertson is definitely making a bold decision, and I actually kind of dig it.
It's not common for a player to decide to represent themselves. They trust their agents to find the best deal for them and they are usually pretty damn good at it. I mean, how often do you hear someone say they don't like Scott Boras? Or at the very least say that he is "bad for baseball" and the reality is we wouldn't be saying that if Boras wasn't good at convincing teams to spend money on his clients. We may not always like it (and certainly not when Boras is involved) but its part of the business.
There really isn't a long list of players to choose to represent themselves but a few interesting ones come to mind:
Zack Greinke went without an agent for awhile. In 2012 he decided to try and represent himself, but that only lasted a few months before he hired Casey Close at Excel Sports Management. Huston Street was self-represented when he negotiated his final contract with the Angels for two years and $18 million.
It is rumored that Pirates closer Felipe Vazquez had worked with as many as five different agencies in the year leading up to his final contract extension that he negotiated by himself.
It's not something that we are used to hearing about for sure. So why and how did Robertson come to this conclusion on this own? He explains it best. He recently made a guest post on MLB Trade Rumors HERE where he explains it all.
"At this point in my life and career, no one else understands my wants and needs more than myself. After recognizing this, I made the decision to forgo using an agent since I no longer feel as though I need a middle man. I know what I want in a contract, I’m aware of what I can offer to teams, and teams are aware of my abilities."
Maybe he's onto something and not all players need a "middle man" to negotiate their deals. If Robertson wants to go out on a limb and chase his own deal down then more power to him. No one else is going to better represent his interests then himself. He knows this isn't an ideal move for most players and he acknowledges that. It's a risk and it's a lot of extra work but he's doing what he feels is best for him. He's taking ownership of his own future and I can't be mad at that.
Now knowing that Brian Cashman won't be calling an agent to try and sway Robertson back to the Bronx makes this chase even more interesting. He says he wants to come back, and I know a lot of fans including myself want him back. I hope the two sides can come to a mutually beneficial deal because I'd love to see Robertson back in pinstripes.
We've always been big Robertson fans here at BYB. We go way back with David and his wife Erin.
In fact, they sold our first set of BYB shirts for us! Robertson only wants the best for himself and his family.....and so do we here. Here's to hoping for another run at a championship together next year.
--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa
BYB Managing Editor
Twitter: @Nyprincessj
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