Earlier this month, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported David Robertson and agent Scott Leventhal of All Bases Covered had parted ways. However, many were stunned when Robertson declared he wanted to represent himself in free agency negotiations.
Agent news: David Robertson has parted ways with Scott Leventhal of All Bases Covered. Robertson – who will be a free agent this offseason – plans to represent himself going forward.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) October 11, 2018
On Monday afternoon, Robertson released a guest post with MLB Trade Rumors explaining his decision.
At this point in my life and career, no one else understands my wants and needs more than myself. After recognizing this, I made the decision to forgo using an agent since I no longer feel as though I need a middle man. I know what I want in a contract, I’m aware of what I can offer to teams, and teams are aware of my abilities.
The 34-year-old reliever added that there was no bad blood between him and his former agent, adding that the two of them are still close friends.
I’m sure there is a lot of speculation regarding my choice. One thing I want to address is that this decision has nothing to do with my former agent. He did a great job representing me for over a decade and I will always appreciate that. But I believe all players need to pay close attention to what they do and their own career path.
While Robertson believes players should be more hands-on regarding their contract negotiations and their futures, he doesn’t recommend self-representation for everyone.
I wouldn’t recommend self representation to just anyone – heck I wouldn’t recommend it to the majority of players. However, being a guy that’s hung around long enough to know what I can offer a team and what I would like in return, I feel I’m best suited to have all the discussions necessary to figure out my next contract.
Robertson had a successful 2018 season with the Yankees, going 8-3 with a 3.23 ERA and a 1.033 WHIP in 69.2 innings.
