I am so happy to join @RocNation!
¡Estoy muy feliz de ser parte de @RocNation! #Rocnationsports pic.twitter.com/fQxgvXFDee— Miguel Angel Sano (@SanoMiguel) January 14, 2016
Miguel Sano is joining some elite athletic company.
The Twins slugger inked a contract with the New York based agency Roc Nation – a big name agency founded and owned by one Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, which the agency announced via Twitter this morning.
Roc Nation represents a deep stable of musicians and entertainers and expanded their reach to the sports world in 2013, representing big MLB names like CC Sabathia, Yoenis Cespedes and Robinson Cano, in addition to other star athletes like the NBA’s Kevin Durant and boxer Andre Ward.
Sano told ESPN 1500 that his friends Yoenis Cespedes and Robinson Cano were a major factor in his decision to switch agencies from Relativity Sports.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BAgC5htnJTm/
The 22-year-old Dominican placed third in AL Rookie of the Year voting last year, putting up a .530 slugging percentage and clobbering 18 home runs according to Baseball Reference, including these two shots from August. (He did however record 119 strikeouts.)
While Sano’s contract won’t be eligible for re-negotiation until 2019, according to MLB Trade Rumors, Roc Nation appears to be adept at negotiations – they netted Cano $240 million over 10 years back in 2013.
The agency has also proven dedicated to finding money for their athletes outside of the team payroll, landing Durant a 10-year endorsement deal from Nike valued at $30 million a year by pitting the swoosh against athletic shoe upstarts UnderArmor, according to Business Insider.
Even lower-profile stars like the WNBA’s Skylar Diggins have benefited from Roc Nation’s management, negotiating deals with Sprint and Nike for the 25 year old Tulsa Shock guard.
