The Phillies and reliever Ryan Madson had a tough breakup. First, it appeared that the Phillies and Madson had worked out a four-year deal after the 2011 season. Madson had to settle for a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds. Madson came down with an injury and never threw a pitch for the Reds in a big league game. So, Madson signed a one-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 2013. Madson spent the whole season injured, never throwing a major league pitch. Now, word comes that Madson has fired his agent who led him through negotiations, Scott Boras.
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN reports that Madson has joined a new agency:
Ryan Madson has switched agents. Now represented by Damon Lapa and Scott Leventhal of All Bases Covered.
— Jerry Crasnick (@jcrasnick) October 29, 2013
I had speculated before that Scott Boras may have kept Madson from signing the deal with the Phillies that he wanted to.
Now that these one-year deals keep getting cheaper and cheaper, could the Phillies welcome Madson back in 2014 to see if he has anything left? The Phillies were interested in giving Madson a shot prior to the 2013 season. With his hometown Angels cutting ties, his baseball home for most of his career might be a good place to start.
The Phillies need bullpen pitching. It is unclear how much Madson will be able to do in 2014 but by firing his agent, it appears that Madson did not feel that his agent had his best interests in mind as he maneuvered through two embarrassing free agency years. Maybe Madson will look to return to the place he wanted to stay all along.
