Hey didn't you turn down 4.9 million?

[KoryMac5]

Every year the name Matt Harrington comes up around draft time for the ultimate folly of being drafted 5 times and never signing. I always wondered what happened to the kid and what went on from every angle of the situation. Ran into this ESPN story about Matt and his family thought I'd share it. Hopefully Aaron Crow has read it.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/etick...423/harrington

[Joseph]

I had no idea we once drafted him.

Amazing story.

[flyer85]

I remember it all quite well.

Harrington was going to be Tanzer's entry into the draftee marketplace as he had a number of established MLB clients. It's a great example of a player/family needing to understand the draftee/agent relationship. The agent doesn't always have the best interests of his client at heart and the draftee needs to understand when the interests start to diverge. Tanzer wanted to play hardball and get top dollar so he could sell himself in the marketplace. He let the negotiations become personal and the Harringtons got thrown under the bus in the process and they weren't smart enough to understand what was going on. Tanzer deserves the lion share of the blame for what happened and by the time Harrington got drafted the next year his fastball had started to fade.

[bucksfan2]

Its sad but it boils down to greed. Making more money that what you are supposed to make. Getting X amount of dollars over slot so the agent can brag.

It seems like Matt is at peace with his decision, and is doing ok financially because of the law suit and insurance policy, but at one point in his career his signature was worth $4.9M. Scary thing is that is more money than he will probably make over the course of his working life.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

Its sad but it boils down to greed. Making more money that what you are supposed to make. Getting X amount of dollars over slot so the agent can brag.

It seems like Matt is at peace with his decision, and is doing ok financially because of the law suit and insurance policy, but at one point in his career his signature was worth $4.9M. Scary thing is that is more money than he will probably make over the course of his working life.

I think the money is secondary to never having had a chance at a baseball career. Matt seems a lot more at peace about it than his dad, who cannot seem to let it go. I'll bet the ol' man plays "what if" everday and it is water under the bridge and you don't get a mulligan.

[bucksfan2]

Originally Posted by flyer85

I think the money is secondary to never having had a chance at a baseball career. Matt seems a lot more at peace about it than his dad, who cannot seem to let it go. I'll bet the ol' man plays "what if" everday and it is water under the bridge and you don't get a mulligan.

You bring up a very good point. In Harrington's case he didn't get a mulligan. As fans of sports we have seen great athletes go from being great to nothing in a split second. Some top players do get mulligan's, but they are hardly ever as good as the original offer.

Look at Strasburg. What if he doesn't sign with the Nats, plays independent league ball and has some sort of arm injury? Is some team going to invest $20M+ in him coming off an arm injury? Its really a case in which the advisors have $$$ in their eyes instead of what is best for their client.

[flyer85]

Originally Posted by bucksfan2

Look at Strasburg. What if he doesn't sign with the Nats, plays independent league ball and has some sort of arm injury? Is some team going to invest $20M+ in him coming off an arm injury? Its really a case in which the advisors have $$$ in their eyes instead of what is best for their client.

or is his stuff simply isn't as good as it was this year. Plus you push off potential free agency another year ... it all has to be factored in. Look at the case of Crow, he has now delayed the start of his career by over a year (he is not under the 17th deadline), how long do you push back the start of career?

[Brutus]

I can understand turning down the first contract. I can even (maybe) understand the second. But after the first two, why not just say the heck with it and agree to sign with one of the teams thereafter? It may not have been much money, but take a chance, get into the organization and see if you can't work your way up.

It sickens me to blame the agent. If the agent lied, OK that's one thing. But it's not the agent's fault you didn't stand up and say no. There are ways around the agent if you feel you're not getting the best advice. I despise some (not all) agents. I think some of them cross the boundaries of simply doing the best they can for their client, and instead look out for their own financial gain. However, sooner or later, you have to take responsibility for empowering them and not standing up for your own interests.

It's a real shame. I am glad that kid has been able to cope with it. I'm not sure I could.