It was reported last night that former Royals pitcher and free agent Ervin Santana had fired his agent, the comedically named Bean Stringfellow, over dissatisfaction with his free agent contract negotiations. Stringfellow's agency contends Santana is still a client and has been for fifteen years. Ken Rosenthal reports Santana's agent situation is "unsettled" and the MLB Players Association has gotten involved. Santana is supposedly contemplating negotiating a contract himself, a risk that had mixed results for Gary Sheffield.
Teams are still interested in Santana, writes Jon Heyman, including the Blue Jays, Orioles, Mariners, Rockies, and Rangers. Buster Olney reports that teams have been wary of Ervin Santana's medicals (have they been reading Jeff Zimmerman?) Kyle Lohse did not sign with the Brewers until March 25 last year, and other free agents like Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales are still unsigned. Still, you have to sense some panic in Santana's camp that a deal hasn't gotten done. To go from demands of $100 million to being unsigned in the second week of March is a humbling experience.