That's called extortion and it's illegal. It's not an official agreement, its just talking. If the Red Sox say no, the Cubs can't make things more difficult for the Red Sox other than keep persuing Sveum, which they have every right to do. If the Red Sox say ok and still demand McNutt, the Cubs can't do anything either. But they can discuss a scenario that is mutually beneficial for each of them and keep it between themselves no official agreement. If I say to you, "hey there, I see you have a new car. This is a bad place to have new cars. I hang out here so I'll protect it for you if you pay me 50 bucks. If not something bad could happen, and it probably will." we are just talking, it's not an official agreement. That only makes sense if you have a legal right to destroy my car. The Cubs have every right to persue and hire Sveum even if it hurts the Red Sox.