S. Samuel
Former New York Yankees superstar Robinson Cano recently talked about taking a chance by joining forces with Jay Z's Roc Nation Sports last spring and why he is not looking back.
According to Cano, his decision to team with Jigga’s sports agency had a lot to do with being treated as family instead of a business decision.
Prior to being represented by Jay-Z, Cano was a part of the Scott Boras baseball machine that maximized dollars and opportunities for the super agent. Cano said of making the change: “So many agents open with, ‘I represent Miguel Cabrera‘ or ‘I represent that guy’…I just wanted someone who would be there after the deal, who’d treat me less like a job and more like family.” Cano feels like family with Jay-Z and Roc Nation, and hopes to connect with the people of Seattle just as much as he did with the fans of New York City. (Yanks Go Yard)
When asked how much of a role Jay’s representation played in Cano’s 10-year, $240 million contract, the star’s ex-agent Boras made sure to downplay the rap star’s impact last winter.
Scott Boras had a message for Jay Z. Robinson Cano, a prized Boras client, switched agents this year to the hip-hop mogul and CAA Sports. The All-Star second baseman left the New York Yankees and agreed last week to a contract with Seattle said to be worth $240 million over 10 years. “It’s very different to be the creator of the umbrella versus those who stand under it,” Boras said Wednesday at the winter meetings. Boras maintained the talent of the player led to the agreement, not the player’s representation. “When you’re bringing the prettiest girl to the prom, you don’t really pay attention to who he’s dancing with, unless it’s a very unusual step,” he said. (Boston Herald)
Reports last year revealed Cano decided to leave the Yankees and settle for a mega ten-year contract.
In a stunning reversal that played out over a dozen or so dramatic hours – and with Jay Z involved, would you expect anything else? – the Mariners signed Robinson Cano to a 10-year, $240 million contract, ending his tenure with the Yankees. Talks between the two sides hit what appeared to be a major snag late Thursday night, a source said, after Cano’s camp asked for 10 years and $252 million. The Mariners had been under the impression that a nine-year, $225 million offer was going to get the deal done, leaving Seattle officials perplexed over the additional request. (New York Daily News)
Over the summer, Scott Boras took a jab at Jigga about his role as a real agent.
Whether the tandem of Jay Z and Creative Artists proves as effective at landing Robinson Cano a megadeal in free agency this winter remains to be seen. Boras shrugged off the lyrics about him, but in discussing the prospect of Jay Z negotiating with teams, he made indirect reference to the rapper’s famous line about making a Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can. “When your agent wears a Yankee hat,” he said, “how seriously are they going to take you?” (Wall Street Journal)
