Head MLB agent of Bad Bunny's new agency reportedly has certification revoked by players union
Rimas Sports, the sports agency launched by Bad Bunny last year, is in some hot water with the MLB Players Association.
The MLBPA revoked the certification of William Arroyo, the main baseball agent of Rimas Sports, on Friday after the union investigated complaints from other agents about improper benefits provided to players, according to ESPN.
MLB agents require certification from the MLBPA in order to negotiate contracts with teams and provide other clients services to players. Arroyo and Rimas Sports can appeal the revoked certification. It is reportedly not known if they will do so.
Rimas Sports released a statement in response, via ESPN:
"At Rimas Sports, we uphold the highest standards of professionalism and integrity of our industry," the company said in a statement. "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."
The blowback for Rimas Sports could go beyond Arroyo, as The Athletic reports other employees with the agency who were seeking certification are now expected to be denied. With Arroyo also sidelined, Rimas Sports reportedly has only one other active MLB agent.
Bad Bunny announced the creation of Rimas Sports last year alongside Rimas Entertainment CEO Noah Assad and executive Jonathan Miranda. Rimas Entertainment is a Puerto Rican record label that counts Bad Bunny among its artists.
With Arroyo leading the way and Hall of Fame catcher Iván Rodríguez working as an ambassador, Rimas Sports signed multiple clients at its launch. Per ESPN, the initial client list included New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Colorado Rockies shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, Cincinnati Reds infielder Santiago Espinal, Mets infield prospect Ronny Mauricio and Los Angeles Dodgers catching prospect Diego Cartaya.
While none of those players are All-Stars, some of them are valuable names to a young agency. Alvarez is a former top-five prospect who could command a nine-figure contract one day, while Tovar signed a seven-year, $63.5 million contract extension with the Rockies last month.
Bad news for MLB agents has been something of a theme this week, as Scott Boras lost Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery as a client after a disaster offseason (that was good news for the Wasserman agency, though), while Nez Balelo of CAA Sports is facing a considerable number of questions about how his operation allowed former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara to allegedly steal $16 million from Shohei Ohtani.
