Jay-Z might represent Dustin Pedroia or Jackie Bradley Jr.
Remember the days when Scott Boras - sports agent extraordinaire - use to bend Red Sox management over a railing and demand whatever random excessive number they (Boras and client) decided was worthy of their John Hancock? Well it’s the same story only different characters will play the part of said sports agent. Roc Nation mogul Shawn Carter (a.k.a. Jay-Z) will venture his million dollar hand into the world of sports representation. Carter explains why he made the move and started Roc Nation Sports.
"Because of my love of sports, it was a natural progression to form a company where we can help top athletes in various sports the same way we have been helping artists in the music industry for years," Jay-Z said in a statement.
Roc Nation Sports will join forces (initially) with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) who already represent notable clients such as Ryan Braun, Matt Cain, Ryan Zimmerman and Buster Posey. CAA agent Brodie Van Wagenen will be in charge of taking on Cano's current contract negotiations with the Yankees and other teams - if Cano should test the free agency market. Van Wagenen talked briefly on the current negotiation status of his newest client, Cano.
"Is it possible for him to sign with the Yankees? Of course, it is possible," Van Wagenen said. "He doesn't become a free agent until November. There is a lot of time between now and then where all sorts of variables could impact whether or not he ultimately re-signs with the Yankees or becomes a free agent.
Van Wegenen continued,
"We are open to exploring the interests of our player," Van Wagenen said. "If the player is open to doing that, then generally speaking, we are open to doing that. I don't think we were hired necessarily for what our practice is. More importantly, we were hired for what Robinson thinks we can do for him, both on and off the field."
This new wave of sports agent conjures an interesting question regarding the future of sports representation within baseball and other sports: Will star power behind sports talent create addition friction during negotiations or will sensibility prevail when dealing with superstar sports talent?
That question has yet to be answered but with the ongoing negotiations between Cano and the Yankees, it's only a matter of time before we get our long awaited answers. Eventually Roc Sports Nation could represent current Red Sox superstars like Dustin Pedroia, Jackie Bradley Jr or even Jacoby Ellsbury so all eyes are on the current Cano/Yankees contract handling.
Follow Scott Levesque on Twitter at @levyskew.
