SEATTLE - Puerto Rican Grammy winner and entrepreneur Bad Bunny has added another superstar to his already stacked roster with reigning National League MVP Ronald Acuña Jr.
Rimas Sports, an agency partnership between the singer and executives Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, signed the Atlanta Braves outfielder to an exclusive representation deal that will see it handle Acuña Jr.'s marketing and off-field business.
The Venezuelan is a seven-year MLB veteran who made his debut in 2018 and, ever since, has become one of baseball's biggest stars. He won the Rookie of the Year award in 2018 and earned his first All-Star appearance the following season.
Acuña is a four-time All-Star, a three-time Silver Slugger winner and won his first MVP award last year after recording the first-ever season with 40 home runs and 70 stolen bases.
In 2023, Acuña earned a spot in the prestigious TIME100 Next list, which highlights rising leaders in health, climate, business, sports, and more.
Acuña is at the moment having a quieter year than what he has accustomed us in the past. He has only three homers, 11 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 39 games played this season after leading the Majors in runs, hits, stolen bases and OPS last year.
The Braves outfielder is not the first MLB player to sign a representation deal with Rimas Sports. The agency boasts a roster of 68 Latin American players that includes Francisco Álvarez, Eddie Rosario and Wilmer Flores, among others.
"We are thrilled to welcome the Acuña family to Rimas Sports. Ronald is a once-in-a-generation player, and we are confident that together we will take his extraordinary career to new heights," said CEO of Rimas Sports Jonathan Miranda. "Acuña is aligned with Rimas Sports foundational principle of empowering the next generation of Latin American players by helping them build lasting legacies for themselves, their families, and their communities," he added.
Rimas Sports now represents 14 players in the Majors. But despite its successful ventures into professional sports, the agency has found itself in some trouble with the Major League Players Association.
Just last month, the player union issued a notice of discipline to Rimas agents William Arroyo, Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda and fined them $400,000 for misconduct, accusing the agency of providing improper benefits to players.
According to sources close to ESPN, the MLBPA received evidence the company had offered players cash and gifts to switch agencies. Both parties are now involved in a legal dispute with Bad Bunny's firm suing the player's association on May 16, asking for a restraining order against the union that would allow Rimas Sports to keep working with its clients.
Since then, Arroyo was decertified and the other two agents were denied an application to be certified.
Despite all the legal battles currently involving Rimas Sports and MLBPA, the agency was able to sign Acuña as Rimas does not need certification to negotiate a player's marketing agreements, according to MLBPA.
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