Now Furcal Close to Signing With Dodgers

[17 Seconds]

Sounds like Wren and the Braves are pretty pissed-

 

The Braves then believed they had a deal. No member of the Braves’ front office – not Wren, not longtime former GM John Schuerholz – could recall a time when a signed term sheet was not the equivalent of a handshake agreement, ethically – if not legally – binding.

 

Instead, the Braves believe, Kinzer shopped the term sheet to the Dodgers.

 

"When people deal with you in this manner, they lose credibility," Braves GM Frank Wren said. "You don't forget these things."

 

According to Wren, this is how the situation played out:

 

-Wren reached agreement on the terms of a contract with Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, on Monday night, pending the approval of Furcal.

-Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday night, Wren spoke with Kinzer three or four times, negotiating the dollar amount, the years and terms of the vesting option, and other contractual details.

-Wren and Kinzer spoke again around midnight Monday night. Kinzer told Wren that he had not yet heard back from Furcal, but that Furcal was excited and that "we're good."

-On Tuesday morning, Wren woke up to a voicemail from Kinzer telling him to put a term sheet (the standard baseball term for an official contract offer) together.

-Wren went into his office in Atlanta, put the term sheet together and signed it.

-Shortly thereafter, Kinzer began "backpedaling," saying he promised the Dodgers he would talk to them.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8954110/Sources:-Furcal-picks-Dodgers-over-Braves

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-furcalbravesoffer121708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

[The Other 15]

Again, can't quite place where I heard that scenario before but it sounds very familiar.

[CUBZ99]

Sounds like Wren and the Braves are pretty pissed-

 

The Braves then believed they had a deal. No member of the Braves’ front office – not Wren, not longtime former GM John Schuerholz – could recall a time when a signed term sheet was not the equivalent of a handshake agreement, ethically – if not legally – binding.

 

Instead, the Braves believe, Kinzer shopped the term sheet to the Dodgers.

 

"When people deal with you in this manner, they lose credibility," Braves GM Frank Wren said. "You don't forget these things."

 

According to Wren, this is how the situation played out:

 

-Wren reached agreement on the terms of a contract with Furcal's agent, Paul Kinzer, on Monday night, pending the approval of Furcal.

-Between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday night, Wren spoke with Kinzer three or four times, negotiating the dollar amount, the years and terms of the vesting option, and other contractual details.

-Wren and Kinzer spoke again around midnight Monday night. Kinzer told Wren that he had not yet heard back from Furcal, but that Furcal was excited and that "we're good."

-On Tuesday morning, Wren woke up to a voicemail from Kinzer telling him to put a term sheet (the standard baseball term for an official contract offer) together.

-Wren went into his office in Atlanta, put the term sheet together and signed it.

-Shortly thereafter, Kinzer began "backpedaling," saying he promised the Dodgers he would talk to them.

 

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8954110/Sources:-Furcal-picks-Dodgers-over-Braves

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ti-furcalbravesoffer121708&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

Is this the same agent Furcal had when he burned the Cubs?

[Clem Fandango]

In the wake of Rafael Furcal's potential return and exit, the Braves have decided to stop doing business with the player's agents, the Wasserman Media Group.

The Braves already have one player on the team's client list, that being Peter Moylan. Moylan, though, won't be eligible for arbitration until next year at the earliest, so he'd seem to be a non-issue for now. Free agents represented by Arn Tellem's Wasserman Group include Randy Wolf, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi and Craig Monroe. It's safe to assume the Braves won't consider any of them.

 

Smooth move, Kinzer. Not that one team's blacklisting of your players will cause considerable damage to your clients' futures, but still the fact that they handled a situation so poorly that a team has decided to sever all ties and not pursue any player associated with an entire agency has to surely be embarrassing and/or frustrating to the company

[17 Seconds]

Braves general manager Frank Wren said Thursday the Braves have notified the baseball agency that represents Rafael Furcal that they intend never to do business with them again.

 

"We don't have any intention of doing business with them, and they've been notified of that,'' Wren told SI.com this afternoon.

 

 

John Schuerholz, the Braves’ president and former general manager, Thursday called the dealings of Furcal’s agents “despicable” and “disgusting” and said the franchise would no longer entertain signing players represented by them — ever.

 

“Having been in this business for 40-some years, I’ve never seen anybody treated like that,” Schuerholz said. “The Atlanta Braves will no longer do business with that company — ever. I told [agent] Arn Tellem that we can’t trust them to be honest and forthright. I told him that in all my years, I’ve never seen any [agency] act in such a despicable manner.

 

“It was disgusting and unprofessional. We’re a proud organization, and we won’t allow ourselves to be treated that way. I advised Arn Tellem that whatever players he represents, just scratch us off the list. Take the name of the Atlanta Braves off their speed dial. They can deal with the other 29 clubs, and we’ll deal with the other hundred agents.”

[A New Era]

This is awesome. The way furcal, and the agents (and I'm going back to our situation too) treated us and the Braves is disgusting, and I really like what the Braves are doing. BRAVO Braves.

 

I think Hendry had a handshake too. Furcal is disgusting too, he only cares about the money. Now now, I know you can say that about most players. But atleast they ACT like they care and have some integrity. Furcal: Yeah I like this team I want to play for them. . . . . Wait the dodgers are gonna give me that much per year? I'm gonna sign with them. Your supposed to wait for the handshake and talking about how much you like that club until AFTER you are sure you are gonna sign with them. LOL.

[davearm2]

This is awesome. The way furcal, and the agents (and I'm going back to our situation too) treated us and the Braves is disgusting, and I really like what the Braves are doing. BRAVO Braves.

 

I think Hendry had a handshake too. Furcal is disgusting too, he only cares about the money. Now now, I know you can say that about most players. But atleast they ACT like they care and have some integrity. Furcal: Yeah I like this team I want to play for them. . . . . Wait the dodgers are gonna give me that much per year? I'm gonna sign with them. Your supposed to wait for the handshake and talking about how much you like that club until AFTER you are sure you are gonna sign with them. LOL.

Oakland reportedly offered the most money, and Furcal turned it down.

[Wheelimus]

Gotta love MLB. They can blacklist the greatest hitter of all time, but a couple of agents would just be too much. So only the Braves will have any integrity.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I believe Aramis has the same agent as Fucal.

[Wheelimus]

Good thing he's signed for quite some time then. :P

[A New Era]

This is awesome. The way furcal, and the agents (and I'm going back to our situation too) treated us and the Braves is disgusting, and I really like what the Braves are doing. BRAVO Braves.

 

I think Hendry had a handshake too. Furcal is disgusting too, he only cares about the money. Now now, I know you can say that about most players. But atleast they ACT like they care and have some integrity. Furcal: Yeah I like this team I want to play for them. . . . . Wait the dodgers are gonna give me that much per year? I'm gonna sign with them. Your supposed to wait for the handshake and talking about how much you like that club until AFTER you are sure you are gonna sign with them. LOL.

Oakland reportedly offered the most money, and Furcal turned it down.

 

well then just be mad at him for the unproffesional way he treats teams and the way he goes about his business.

[DiamondMind]

Doesn't deserve its own thread, but Bobby Crosby cleared outright waivers. Found that a little odd in the current market.

[Clem Fandango]

Good thing he's signed for quite some time then. :P

 

Not really, we probably only got him for 2 more seasons. Aramis can opt out after 2010, and let's be honest... he will. He also has a player option for 2011 that is worth less than what he'll make in 2010, so he probably won't want to exercise that and he'll just opt out. He makes $15.75M in 2010... if he chooses not to opt out and stay, he'll make $14.6M in 2011.

 

Aramis will probably have to be resigned again at the end of the 2010 season or maybe, in a long shot, Vitters will be ready to go by then and we can let Aramis walk and save lots and lots of money

[A New Era]

Is Vitters really that good? What's his #'s from last season?

 

It would hurt quite a bit I'd think atleast for the first year or two bc I don't see Vitters putting up ARAM #'s for atleast the first season in the bigs.

[RammyFanny]

Just read that Furcal's contract includes monetary incentives if he does a core strengthening workout thing on schedule. That seems pretty cool, and an interesting way to give slackers (not saying Furcal is one) a incentive to work hard.

[Clem Fandango]

Just read that Furcal's contract includes monetary incentives if he does a core strengthening workout thing on schedule. That seems pretty cool, and an interesting way to give slackers (not saying Furcal is one) a incentive to work hard.

 

It's sad that a team has to put that into a contract to make it an incentive to perform better. If that's what it takes to ensure a players success, I'd put that clause/incentive in every player's contract I'd write up