Rimas Sports, the sports agency co-founded by pop star Bad Bunny, committed “a series of grave violations” in dealings with baseball players, according to the Major League Baseball Players Association. The MLBPA detailed its accusations to a federal judge in Puerto Rico this week, reports The Athletic’s Evan Drellich.
Among the improper actions perpetrated by Rimas were offering a $200,000 interest-free loan to a player the agency was attempting to recruit as a client and providing a $19,500 gift to another player who signed with the organization.
Other incentives cited in a memo the MLBPA filed in court included Rimas representatives giving players who were not clients VIP tickets to Bad Bunny shows and access to a luxury suite at a Phoenix Suns game.
In April, the MLBPA revoked the certification of Rimas agent William Arroyo after investigating complaints from other agents about improper benefits being provided to players who the agency did not represent. Two of Rimas’ co-founders, Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, were also barred from officially becoming agents who could represent MLBPA members.
The most well-known client Rimas has signed is Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr., who reportedly signed with the agency in May. Other players Rimas has represented include Wilmer Flores of the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets‘ Francisco Alvarez and Ronny Mauricio and Santiago Espinal of the Cincinnati Reds.
Rimas Sports, agencia deportiva de Bad Bunny firma acuerdo EXCLUSIVO con la súper estrella de la MLB Ronald Acuña Jr. 🔥🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/BjolqYOdck
— Bunny’s Network (@badbunnynetwork) May 16, 2024
From a layman view, the inducements offered by Rimas don’t sound outlandish compared to what other sports agencies have likely done to attract potential clients. Though perhaps there are formal protocols to follow for recruiting and signing clients that Rimas was not following.
The argument, which was backed by an arbitrator, also appears to be that Rimas was going above and beyond what agencies are typically allowed to use in competing for players — especially if funded by Bad Bunny, the best-selling Latin artist in U.S. history.
Rimas countered by arguing in federal court that its practices were being unfairly scrutinized “in a discriminatory, biased, and pre-determined investigation” intended to put the agency out of business, according to The Athletic’s report. Decertifying Arroyo and barring Assad and Miranda from formally becoming agents is equivalent to a “death penalty” for the company, Rimas contends.
