Word broke earlier this month that agent Rafa Nieves was leaving the Wasserman Agency, and Nieves tweeted yesterday from his personal account that he had finalized his departure. The next step appears to be his own firm, as Nieves’s Twitter bio identifies himself as the CEO and founder of Republik Sports.
As per Jesse Dougherty of the Washington Post (Twitter link), “many players” currently represented by Nieves are leaving Wasserman for Republik. A look at Republik’s Instagram page gives hints about some of those names, and the TalkNats blog tweets that Nationals outfielder Victor Robles will indeed be joining Nieves at the new agency. This change has been reflected in MLBTR’s Agency Database.
It was less than three years ago that Nieves joined Wasserman, bringing several well-known clients (including Robles, Jose Ramirez, Gregory Polanco, Alex Colome, Francisco Cervelli, Frankie Montas, and Kelvin Herrera) along with him to the agency. Nieves, a 36-year-old Venezuela native, has already become a notable figure in the representation business, as detailed by The Athletic’s Marc Carig in a profile from last August.
The 22-year-old Robles became an everyday player for the first time in 2019, hitting .255/.326/.419 with 17 homers over 617 plate appearances for Washington. While Robles’ hitting (88 OPS+, 91 wRC+) was nothing to write home about, he was a major plus on the basepaths and especially in the outfield. Robles immediately established himself as one of the sport’s top defensive center fielders, posting a +6.1 UZR/150, +23 Defensive Runs Saved, and a league-best 23 Outs Above Average. This performance earned Robles a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie Of The Year voting, and his emergence helped the Nats make up for the departure of Bryce Harper in the outfield as the franchise went on to capture its first World Series title.
Between his age, glovework, and a solid offensive track record in the minors that hints at more progress to come at the plate, Robles looks like a foundational player for Washington. He is still two years away from arbitration eligibility and is under team control through the 2024 season. Though teams are unable to discuss contract extensions during the league-wide roster freeze, it stands to reason that the Nats would have interest in locking Robles up in a long-term deal. It’s worth mentioning that Nieves has a couple of prominent early-career extensions on his record, negotiating Ramirez’s current contract with the Indians and Polanco’s ongoing deal with the Pirates.
The birds are gone! Where are they hidden?
What are you taking about? Birds aren’t real.
From the rooftops shout it out baby I’m ready to go
23 skidoo
Republik agency sounds like something out of Soviet Russia lol
In Soviet Russia contract sign you
I believe the currency in Russia is Robles.
It was between Republik or Lenny Dykstra’s Gangsta Co.
McLovin.
edgy name
Why does anyone care who a players agent is?
Because the representation style varies wildly from agency to agency and from agent to agent. Think of the agent as the face you wear in a negotiation. One of the reasons Boras became so dominant two decades ago was the unlikely deals he managed to pull off early. (See the Livan Hernandez defection story, et al). During this time he cemented a reputation as a tough negotiator who could outwait owners and there negotiators.
It’s easy to see why a lot of players wanted that face going into their negotiations. But on the other hand some player are more concerned about staying with a team than maximizing income. There are a plethora of other priorities that players factor in as well. And getting those priorities in your contract without conflict is aided by a more amicable negotiating style.
not to mention the fact that Boras has completely hosed multiple players in his overly-aggressive negotiating tactics. Stephen Drew for example.
He’s not going to win for every player he represents. At the end of the day, the players make the final decision and we don’t know the full behind-the-scenes story except the outcome.
Some teams refuse to deal with Boras oh and DFTT!
Always one knucklehead who has to complain about an agent article lol
I find the agent articles interesting
@w4s. You seem to have cared enough to read it and comment
Some teams refuse to deal with Boras oh and DFTT!
Good to read ya Jammy
It’s been a while…