To hear of players changing agents isn't all too uncommon, but hearing the opposite is a rarity. Wednesday, though, we saw a case. The Wasserman Agency emailed a statement to reporters saying it has "terminated" its "professional relationship" with Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig. No further details were given.
There's at least one report that the separation is due to a behavioral issue on Puig's part.
Keep in mind that agencies aren't dropping clients who make them boatloads of money for bat flips or not hustling out of the box. Puig is set to make over $9 million in 2018 before likely topping $10 million in arbitration in 2019 and then hitting free agency thereafter. It's a good chunk of money for an agency to leave on the table.
Puig, 27, hit .263/.346/.487 (118 OPS+) with 24 doubles, 28 homers, 74 RBI, 15 steals and exceptional defense in right field last season. His good all-around play was worth 3.7 WAR, his best all-around season since 2014, when he looked like a budding superstar.
Even with his bounce-back on the field, Puig's issues continued a bit in 2017. He was benched multiple times by manager Dave Roberts for showing up late, as late in the season as the third week in September. He also flipped off some Cleveland fans after a home run in June.
Again, though, these types of issues don't typically get a player fired by his agent.
Perhaps there's more to come on this front. It's hard to say. The Dodgers haven't said anything, nor has Puig, and the agency wouldn't say more than a one-sentence press release email.
