Judge sides with MLBPA in Rimas Sports dispute

A federal judge in Puerto Rico “ruled in favor of the MLBPA” yesterday in its fight against Rimas Sports, the agency founded by musician Bad Bunny. The judge said that the dispute “belongs in arbitration,” which is what the union "wanted when the agency asked the court to intervene." The union has sanctioned Rimas for "violations of its regulations," while Rimas “in turn accused the union of being heavy-handed.” The union in April decertified one of the agents at Rimas Sports, William Arroyo, and also “forbid two of the company’s founders, Noah Assad and Jonathan Miranda, from formally becoming agents.” A second federal lawsuit “exists in the fight over discipline, in Puerto Rico.” Rimas is the plaintiff in that case, and is also “asking the court to intervene,” whereas the MLBPA is arguing that the case “doesn’t belong in court” (THE ATHLETIC, 8/15).