Would you be more likely to make a deal with the devil if your guardian Angel had just withdrawn $300,000 of your money from you bank account?
That is what is alleged to have happened to Angels slugger Kendry Morales. Long story short, Kedry's agent Rodney Fernandez had access to Kendry's dough. He is alleged to have used it for purposes other than what it was assigned for (as the dictionary describes "embezzlement"). To the tune of 300K walking out the door...
Kendry's lawyer, Jay Reisinger, says that Fernandez admitted to taking the money without asking. Publicly, Fernandez says that the money was used for purposes related to the Hendricks Sports Management LP and that the agency owes Kendry the money. The now disgraced agent has a lot to be crying about: in the span four weeks he was dumped by Morales and Aroldis Chapman before being dismissed by the Hendricks agency and put under police investigation. Probably not the best month of his career.
A Hendricks Agency spokesperson says that is a crock and that the buck stops with Fernandez, who it turns out is not even certified as an agent with the MLB Players Union. But Jorge Arangure Jr. at ESPN's non-Yankee/Bahstin reporting desk did find out a little about what Fernandez is associated with:
Fernandez previously worked for Bill Rego, an agent who in 2008 was decertified by the union for allegedly having stolen hundreds of thousands of dollars from several clients. But according to one source close to the situation, Fernandez was not a subject of that inquiry.
Morales left the Hendricks agency and signed with Scott Boras last week. Kendry's lawyer says that Morales wants charges pressed. If you have ever dated a Cuban, you know that "pressed" is an understatement of what Kendry really wants.