| DETROIT -- Detroit Tigers slugger Juan Gonzalez has hired
Scott Boras as his new agent as he prepares to become a free agent,
the Detroit Free Press reported Friday.
Gonzalez, traded to Detroit from Texas in a nine-player deal
after the 1999 season, dropped longtime representative Jim Bronner
in favor of Boras.
Boras, like Bronner, is a well-known agent who has a lot of
experience in negotiating large contracts. Last winter, Bronner
negotiated a reported eight-year package with the Tigers worth more
than $140 million, but Gonzalez turned it down for unknown reasons.
The two-time AL MVP was expected to provide the big bat the
Tigers lacked the previous five years, but he had a rough season.
Gonzalez finished hitting .289 with 22 home runs. His 67 RBI were
less than half what he averaged the previous four years.
He missed 47 games with various injuries, groused about Comerica
Park's distant fences and was a frequent target of boos.
The Tigers are expected to offer a far less lucrative contract
now. Gonzalez's back might also make other clubs hesitant to pursue
him. He is scheduled to have his back examined in a few weeks.
The Tigers don't appear to be afraid to let Gonzalez become a
free agent before they try to sign him.
"He needs to find out his value on the open market," Tigers
general manager Randy Smith said.
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