Jun 30, 2014; Salvador, BRAZIL; A Brazil Navy boat patrols the Atlantic Ocean coastline in the city of Salvador prior to tomorrows 2014 World Cup match between USA against Belgium at Estadio Roberto Santos. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Amidst Reports of Death Threats – Braves Still in Thick of Pursuit for Lazarito

A follow-up article by Ken Rosenthal last night presents conflicting accounts of the situation involving Lazaro Armenteros (“Lazarito”) and agent Charles Hairston.

As we reported to you yesterday via Ken Rosenthal and Jon Paul Morosi, Hairston dropped his teen-aged client this week over concerns of personal safety for him, his family, and his agency’s associates. However, Townsend reports that Lazarito’s new representatives – Octagon – staged a conference call with the family to report that they are fine, free to travel, and under no threats.

This is important for several reasons involving the alleged death threats, but also because Rosenthal is reporting that Lazarito was invited to a team’s Spring Training site for a visit and workout.

That team was the Atlanta Braves.

Certainly – regardless of everything else going on – the Braves are still in this hunt.

The family has declined the invitation, reportedly for the reason that the invitation was extended to Agent and Player only – and no one from the family. That would seem to be a customary situation, though given his age (16), it would be understandable to request a parent to be involved in such a trip.

TomahawkTake has reached out to the Braves in an attempt to (a) confirm the account that Lazaro was invited to Orlando; and (b) ask if the invitation was indeed player/agent alone. We will update this information if we receive a response.

Change in Agent – Where Does That Go?

Now the question is whether the Braves really will still have an iron in this fire to fight with. Hairston seemed to be working with the club, though the family may have switched agencies in part because of an “inability for Hairston’s agency to produce actual offers from clubs and a refusal to allow Lazarito to resume working with his original trainer.” (from Rosenthal)

This is where the stories diverge sharply:

Octagon is apparently prepared to support the training situation favored by the family, noting a concern that Lazaro’s development may have stalled a bit. They want him to get back to the business of baseball and not about the business of logos, branding and marketing opportunities.

Hairston, while citing concerns for personal safety, disputed the family’s message and declared that his “buscon” (“finder”) who bankrolled the escape from Cuba and subsequent training is trying to steer Armenteros to a specific team (which would imply ‘not the Braves’).

Certainly, while all of this intrigue is going on, player development time is being lost, and thus Octagon is correct in putting an emphasis to returning Armenterous to the field.

Also, there’s this quote from Rosenthals’ piece:

Lazaro Sr., who has a college degree in physical education, made a point of saying that the family wants not necessarily the highest offer, but the right situation for their son. “We’re a very humble family,” Lazaro Sr. said. “We don’t put money first. We just want the very best for our kid.”

That’s certainly refreshing to hear… and given the marketing angles that agent Hairston seemed to be playing, tends to make me believe him story less than that of Octagon’s account.

Personal Notes

While the report of a death threat from this “investor” cannot be ignored out-of-hand, I should note that my own position on this subject is shifting a bit. I am tending to question the credibility of Hairston’s account, which also calls into question his ‘death threat’ argument. While that’s certainly still possible – and chilling to hear – it could be something entirely more self-serving: Hairston attempting to cover for a disagreement in handling philosophy between he and the family. Unfortunately, we don’t have omniscient information, and thus have to make educated guesses at what might truly be going on. More to the point, the notion of a death threat was actually plausible.

At the same time, I painted a picture in yesterday’s post of an underworld in which all participants are exploiting the desperation of people wanting to leave Cuba – and cashing in on the earning power of professional baseball players. While it is certainly the case for some (Leonys Martin in particular), that was too broad a brush to use overall. If Hairston was honest about his account, then it supports the narrative, but if he’s exaggerating, then it does not.

That extends to MLB as well – it is difficult for MLB and teams to be fully aware of the situations involved and where their money may be going. I still would call on Major League Baseball to do more to protect against the situation in which criminal elements might be benefiting from bonus payouts going to Cuban escapees. But I have to acknowledge that they will also not have full information in every case, either. This situation illustrates that quandry. So to the extent that my words imposed some level of culpability on MLB for this, I must apologize for that implication.

For the sake of Armenteros and his family – I hope that it is the case that they are right… and right now, I’m leaning in that direction. Hopefully this can all be resolved soon for their collective future security. Whether the Braves, Padres, or another team ultimately prevails… that’s secondary to the idea of getting this kid a chance to play baseball again.