An agent employed by Rimas Sports, which was founded in April 2023 by the recording artist Bad Bunny, reportedly had his certification revoked by the Major League Baseball Players Association.
Agent William Arroyo, who represented New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez and Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Diego Cartaya among others, was under investigation for providing improper benefits to players, according to ESPN.
The San Francisco Giants’ Wilmer Flores and Marco Luciano, the Toronto Blue Jays’ Santiago Espinal, and the Mets’ Ronny Mauricio were or are among Rimas’ baseball clients. So is Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who recently negotiated an $84 million extension, according to the agency’s Instagram feed.
“At Rimas Sports, we uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity of our industry,” the company said in a statement provided to ESPN. “Out of respect for an ongoing process within the context of the MLBPA Agent Regulations, we will refrain from making any comments at this time. We remain committed to continue serving our clients with excellence.”
Photo by Dustin Bradford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Athletic, which first reported Rimas was facing punishment from the MLBPA, reports the agency “has been the subject of multiple complaints from other agencies to the Players Association, which oversees agent certification for both the major and minor leagues.”
According to ESPN, within one week of Rimas’ official launch, the MLBPA received evidence the company had offered players cash and gifts to switch agencies, according to sources.
According to The Athletic, which cited “multiple accounts from players and agents,” employees of Rimas offered “large sums of money, cars and other incentives prohibited in MLBPA’s agent regulations” to lure clients to the new agency.
Section 5 of the MLBPA regulations states no agent “shall provide, cause to provide or promise to provide any money or any other thing of value to any player, or any person related to or associated with such player” to persuade him to join or remain with an agency.
It’s a remarkable turn of events for an agency that did not exist a year ago. It’s not clear whether Arroyo’s clients will switch representation to another agent in Rimas’ employ, or whether they will leave the agency altogether.
Bad Bunny is not the first recording artist to make the crossover into the athlete representation business. Rapper Jay-Z founded Roc Nation, which still holds a large portfolio of baseball clients, including retired slugger Albert Pujols.
Bad Bunny is a rapper and singer from Puerto Rico who has won three Grammy awards in his career.
Uncommon Knowledge
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