While the Philadelphia Phillies continue their march toward the playoffs, a member of their team is dealing with controversy away from the field. Speedy outfielder Johan Rojas is moving forward with allegations that his former agent purposely mishandled his finances.
Phillies’ Johan Rojas Files Grievance Against His Former Agent While MLBPA Investigates
The Major League Baseball Players Association is investigating agent Yasser Mendez after Rojas filed a grievance against him. According to the Athletic, Rojas believes that Mendez purposely manipulated him to make bad financial decisions totalling $875,000. Mendez represented Rojas while Rojas was still a minor league player.
Rooooooo yeahhhhh 😎#RingTheBell pic.twitter.com/rGNvvFjLi4
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) September 18, 2023
Rojas says that Mendez persuaded him to take out cash advances totalling almost a million dollars against his future major league earnings. Mendez then asked Rojas to invest in his baseball academy in Venezuela. Rojas believes that Mendez did not have his best interests in mind. The Athletic also detailed how Rojas was told that part of the money he invested in Mendez’s baseball academy would help pay off his taxes. However, Rojas would later find out that Mendez didn’t even pay his taxes.
The entire situation is complicated, as there are other factors to consider. In something of a counterargument, an attorney for Rep 1 Baseball, which employed Mendez, accused Rojas of trying to extort millions of dollars from Klutch Sports Group, which eventually acquired Rep 1 Baseball. Mendez also had a similar agreement with New York Yankees infielder Oswald Peraza, though it’s unclear if there was any misconduct in their relationship. Both Rojas and Peraza left Mendez in 2023.
International baseball signings, especially from Latin America, are targets of cash advances for a percentage of their income when they reach the major leagues. The MLBPA warned agents about these types of agreements nearly a decade ago.
This is a common issue as MLB continues to invest resources into Latin America as teams look for the next big star. Some kids are on the radar of major league scouts at 12 or 13 years old. Even super agent Scott Boras has been accused of providing cash advances to teenage prospects in order to receive access to their future earnings if they reach the major leagues.
On the field, Rojas is hitting .226 with 15 runs batted in and a .574 OPS.
Go get it, Ro!!! pic.twitter.com/lm71TAor66
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) August 27, 2024
He’s one of the fastest players in baseball and provides excellent defense, but his lack of offense makes it hard to envision him as a clear starting outfielder in the major leagues.