The Closer: Back, back, back
|  | | Juan Gonzalez: Big bucks, bad back. |
The new ballyard opened. The team started horribly. Juan's back was a real pain in the neck. Then Juan complained about the fences. He was shopped around. The Yankees almost bit. Bugs attacked. Juan complained about the fences some more. Then team actually made the wild-card standings for a while. The season ended. In The Closer, ESPN.com's Marty Bernoski puts the finishing touches
on the middling season of Comerica's team.
Agent of change: Gonzalez hires Boras
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 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.
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