Feb 17
by Jeff Fannell in Agents, Baseball, MLB, Sports Business 1 comments tags: Agent, Baseball, contract, MLB, Negotiation, Salary Arbitration

A Baseball Agent’s Dilemma

The first three weeks of February is salary arbitration season in Major League Baseball.  A time when eligible players and their clubs try to hammer out contracts for the coming year.  If those efforts fail, the matter is presented to a panel of labor arbitrators who will decide the issue after hearing arguments from the player, club, the union and the Commissioner’s Office. Clubs hold the historical edge in salary arbitration hearings.  According to the MLBPA website, through 2012, arbitrators have ruled for clubs in 286 cases and for players in 214.  This is generally reflective of labor arbitration, where employers win more than they lose.  More than one cynic has suggested that such is way arbitrators ensure they continue to get cases.  For the record, I’ll only say that I find this observation curiously fascinating.  After I retire or move on from handling arbitration cases, chances are I may have other thoughts, but for now I simply remain fascinated. Another facet of baseball’s salary arbitration process that has captured my attention is the particular dilemma that agents face that affects the outcome of many negotiations.  First, consider that the process is designed to foster settlements by creating risk – […]
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Oct 19
by Lori Lord in Agents, Baseball, Hockey, Labor Issues, Sports Business, Sports Law 0 comments tags: Conference, Salary Arbitration, Salary Arbitration in Sports, SAS

Don’t Miss the Salary Arbitration in Sports Conference November 19th

On Thursday, November 19th a trio of veteran sports agents will host the inaugural Salary Arbitration in Sports conference at St. John’s University School of Law in Queens. The SAS conference will feature representatives from Major League Baseball, MLBPA, certified agents and former players, all with comprehensive experience in salary arbitration. Students, professionals and sports fans alike are invited to come join us for an in-depth look at this one-of-a-kind process. Hear from salary arbitration experts and industry veterans: Jeff, Fannell of Jeff Fannell & Associates; Rex Gary, Turner Gary-Sports; Mike Nicotera, The Sparta Group; Gregg E. Clifton, Jackson Lewis, P.C.; Rick Shapiro, MLBPA; Paul Mifsud, Labor Relations, MLB; John Ricco, NY Mets; Omar Minaya, MLBPA; and CJ Nitkowski, Former MLB Player; Jay Reisinger, Farrell & Reisinger, LLC; Matthew Swartz, MLB TradeRumors; Jason Belzer, GAME, Inc. and Forbes.com, and more. At the SAS Conference, seasoned participants in the art of salary arbitration will share their insights and experiences through a full day of panel discussions and question-and-answer sessions. The conference is the inspiration of experienced certified sports agents Jeff Fannell of, Mike Nicotera and Rex Gary. FrontOfficeSports.org, one of the Nation’s fastest growing sources for #Sportsbiz insight and education will […]
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Mar 08
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Labor Issues, MLB, Sports Business 12 comments tags: Baseball, Major League Baseball, Salary Arbitration, Sports business

Salary Arbitration 101: Part Three

  It now comes down to this. For the player, it’s been years of competing and succeeding at the highest level and accumulating enough service time to become (or stay) eligible for salary arbitration. For the majority of clubs, it’s been years of developing the player and seeing him grow and contribute to the organization. For the advocates on both sides of the table, it’s been months of research and analysis of statistics and the challenging task of reducing it all to a 100-page presentation. Salary arbitration is a unique process. It is not “arbitration” in the traditional sense of the word. There are no court reporters to take testimony, there is no swearing-in of witnesses, there are no post-hearing briefs or oral arguments and, perhaps most notable of all, there are no written decisions from the arbitrators. Salary arbitration cases are presented before a panel of three arbitrators, all of whom are among the top labor arbitrators in the country. Why labor? Because the relationship between the Players Association and the Clubs is grounded in labor law and governed by a collective bargaining agreement. When not hearing salary arbitration cases over the first three weeks of February, the panel […]
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Feb 12
by Jeff Fannell in Baseball, Labor Issues, MLB, Sports Business 9 comments tags: Baseball, MLB, Money, Negotiation, Salary Arbitration

Salary Arbitration 101: Part One

It’s February, so for me and scores of others in the baseball industry, it’s time for the annual ritual known as salary arbitration.  A time when players and clubs make their case before a panel of arbitrators to determine the player’s salary for the coming season. I’ve been at this for over 15 years and it still remains among the most difficult and challenging things I take on in my practice.  As I sit here now in Tampa between cases, my thoughts turned to the number of people I have met over the years who possessed a deep-seated curiosity about the salary arbitration process and what is it, exactly, what goes on inside the hearing room.  While the hearings holds the fascination of many, there are many steps along the way that are important to understanding this unique process. First, only certain players are eligible for salary arbitration.  Generally, players with three or more years of service, but less than six, are eligible for arbitration. There is a subset of players between two and three years of service who are also eligible.  A player will fall into this second group if he has between two and three years of service, […]
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