The Pirates caved. From ESPN.

The Pirates have agreed to a reworked deal with third baseman Pedro Alvarez, the No. 2 overall pick from Vanderbilt who was initially signed by Pittsburgh a month ago before a union grievance put the contract on hold, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Monday.

Alvarez and the Pirates agreed to a four-year deal Sunday night worth a guaranteed $6.4 million, the newspaper reported, citing three sources close to the contract talks. The deal is contingent on a physical expected to be performed early this week.

A source told the Post-Gazette the Pirates' signing of the power-hitting collegiate star would likely result in the voiding of a grievance the players' association filed Aug. 27 against the commissioner's office.

It contended Major League Baseball had violated its collective bargaining agreement with the players by approving an agreement between Alvarez and the Pirates shortly after a midnight deadline Aug. 15.

From what I can tell, Alvarez now says the original deal was legit, asks the Union to drop the grievance, and renegotiate the $6M draft deal, which means it isn't negotiating after the deadline.

Boy, these guys can sure argue out of both sides of their mouths. Alvarez/Boras say the original deal is bunk, but want to negotiate it. They got the Union to file a grievance to declare it void for that purpose. The Pirates said "hell, no!" but were under the gun, since they don't want to lose Alvarez, and thus caved and renegotiated anyway.

Expect these Boras tactics to occur more frequently in the future, which is disgusting, because they work.

Backstory here.

H/T: MLBTradeRumors

Not sure if anyone's seen this, but per MLBTR there's Drama Over Pedro Alvarez Contract

2:07pm: MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch talked to a source who said Boras wants another $200K, so that Alvarez's bonus matches Buster Posey's.

12:57pm: Turns out Pedro Alvarez has not reported to the Pirates yet for a reason - the Players Association filed a grievance on his behalf today. They're saying Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM bonus after the midnight deadline on August 15th. Scott Boras informed the Pirates that Alvarez will not sign the contract unless it is renegotiated at a higher number. Royals top pick Eric Hosmer may also become tangled up in this mess, since his contract was submitted after Alvarez.

Here is the Pirates' Statement

"At the Pirates' request, the Office of the Commissioner today placed Pedro Alvarez on Major League Baseball's Restricted List. The Pirates were forced to request that Pedro be placed on the Restricted List because we were informed by his agent, Scott Boras, that Pedro will not sign the contract to which he agreed on August 15. Boras further informed us that Pedro will not report to the Club unless we renegotiate his contract and agree to pay him more than the $6 million signing bonus to which he agreed.

"The Major League Rules provide that a player who refuses to sign a Uniform Player Contract to which he has agreed and report to the signing Club shall, upon a report of the signing Club, be placed on the Restricted List until he signs a contract reflecting the terms to which he has agreed. Such a player may not sign a contract with or play for any other Club. While demanding that we renegotiate his contract and pay Pedro more than the $6 million signing bonus to which Pedro agreed, Mr. Boras has contended that the contract we reached with Pedro was consummated after the August 15 deadline. This claim was not raised on the evening of the 15th when we informed Mr. Boras that Major League Baseball had confirmed that the contract was submitted in a timely fashion. Mr. Boras asserted this claim several days later, after all of the draft signings had become publicized.

"The Pirates are confident that the contract reached with Pedro Alvarez was agreed to and submitted to Major League Baseball in a timely fashion and properly accepted by Major League Baseball. In fact, the contract between the Kansas City Royals and Eric Hosmer, another Boras client, was submitted to the Office of the Commissioner after our contract with Pedro was submitted. Mr. Boras is apparently satisfied with the $6 million bonus that he secured for Mr. Hosmer and has not challenged the validity of that contract. Mr. Boras has been informed that if he pursues a claim that our contract with Pedro was not timely he puts Eric Hosmer's contract with Kansas City in jeopardy.

"The Pirates made several attempts to commence negotiations immediately following the draft and were willing and ready to agree to pay Pedro a $6 million signing bonus from the very outset. Predictably, however, Mr. Boras refused to engage in any negotiations at all until shortly before the August 15 deadline and even then an agreement was reached only after Pedro took control of the negotiations.

"Regrettably, we are not surprised that Mr. Boras would attempt to raise a meritless legal claim in an effort to compel us to renegotiate Pedro's contract to one more to his liking. We are, however, disappointed that Pedro would allow his agent to pursue this claim on his behalf. Pedro showed tremendous fortitude and independent thinking when he agreed to his contract on August 15.

"The Office of the Commissioner has assured us that we have a valid contract with Pedro and that it will vigorously defend any claim to the contrary. Despite our disappointment, we continue to believe in Pedro Alvarez the person and the baseball player and remain excited to add Pedro to our system. We will sit down with Pedro and his family as soon as Mr. Boras' claim is rejected to chart a new and much more productive start to Pedro's career with the Pittsburgh Pirates."

 

Scott Boras is a fucking turd

Report: Clemens had relationship with Mindy McCready

NEW YORK (AP)—Roger Clemens had a decade-long relationship with country star Mindy McCready that began when she was a 15-year-old aspiring singer and the pitcher was a Boston Red Sox ace, the Daily News reported.

Clemens’ lawyer, Rusty Hardin, confirmed a long-term relationship but told the newspaper it was not sexual.

"He flatly denies having had any kind of an inappropriate relationship with her," Hardin said. "He’s considered her a close family friend. … He has never had a sexual relationship with her."

McCready’s lawyer, Lee Ofman, said he did not have any comment on the Daily News story.

Clemens was 28 and a married father of two when he first met McCready, the newspaper reported.

The story, which appeared on the newspaper’s Web site Sunday night and in editions Monday, quoted several people who asked not to be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation.

The revelation could undermine Clemens’ reputation, which is central to the defamation suit the former pitcher has filed against former personal trainer Brian McNamee. McNamee contends Clemens used performance-enhancing substances during his major league career.

Say it ain't so, Roger. Say it ain't so!

I know the Giants stink, but there's always room in every Giants' fan's heart for laughing at the Dodgers, past and present. Well, this blast from the past (1986) may not be as funny as a Tommy Lasorda tumble, but then again, it just might. It will definitely have you laughing your ass off!

Couldn't happen to a bigger jerk.

BOSTON (AP) -- Curt Schilling has an injured right shoulder, and the ballplayer and the Boston Red Sox have been squabbling over whether he should have surgery that could cost him the season or try something less drastic.

"Curt Schilling was examined by Red Sox doctors in January after he reported feeling right shoulder discomfort," the Red Sox said in a statement Thursday night. "Curt has started a program of rest, rehabilitation and shoulder strengthening in an attempt to return to pitching."

Red Sox officials declined to elaborate on the two-sentence statement, which was released at 8:11 p.m. Schilling's blog was last updated Wednesday, and he did not return calls or e-mails seeking comment; his spokeswoman, Katie Leighton, said he would have none.

The Boston Herald reported on its Web site that Schilling may have injured his rotator cuff or labrum, a problem serious enough to consider surgery that could keep him out for the whole 2008 season. The Boston Globe reported later Thursday that even without surgery Schilling would be out until at least the All-Star break.

I'm sure he'd like some HGH now...

Poll

Curt Schilling?

21%

Jerk

12 votes

12%

Butthead

7 votes

65%

!@%$#%@

36 votes

55 votes | Poll has closed

The Blue Jays have been mostly quiet this off-season, waiting for the right player to become available at a reasonable price.

That player finally has emerged -- free-agent shortstop David Eckstein.

The Jays have reached a preliminary agreement with Eckstein on a 1-year, $4.5 million contract, according to a major-league source.

Eckstein, a two-time World Series champion, likely will become the team's everyday shortstop, returning John McDonald to a backup role.

The Jays signed McDonald to a two-year, $3.8 million contract in September, but considered his deal affordable even if they used him as a reserve.

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/7558686

Scrappiness and grit are only worth a year, apparently.

Man faces 50 years for bomb threat
Newark fan called in 5 times during a 2005 Giants game

Some fans believe they can change the outcome of a game by cheering for their squad and taunting opposing players.

But while such tactics are commonplace at any stadium, bar or household across America, one Newark man apparently went above and beyond the call of duty when he phoned in a series of bomb threats during a pair of 2005 contests between the San Francisco Giants and the Atlanta Braves in Atlanta.

Now the 39-year-old man who made those calls faces up to 50 years in federal prison, although a much lesser sentence is expected when he returns to court in January, the man's attorney said.

Newark resident Dante Madamba Suguitan accepted an agreement last week and pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Atlanta to five counts of making the false threats, which claimed that bombs had been placed near the Giants and Braves dugouts during the two-game series, court records show.

"Dante is an extraordinarily avid baseball fan who was angry about the outcomes of the games against the Braves," defense attorney Matthew Dodge said Monday in a phone interview from his Atlanta office. "He understands that (his actions) were not rational and are illegal."

I also hate the Braves, however...