Can anyone tell me what a personal services contract is in baseball?

Question

I read in the news that Roger Clemens has one of those with the Astros, but they never did provide any detail about what that meant. How can he still have a contract with the Astros but be playing for another team? Does this mean he still receives money from the Astros or what?

Answer 1

There's no standard for what duties are entailed in such contracts. Usually the player will help coach during spring training and do some promotional work for the team. Sometimes the player will take a front office job (such as a scout or assistant to the G.M.) as part of the work. In Clemens's case, I expect it will be the former, as well as some work with minor league prospects, since (if I remember correctly) Clemens is part owner of a couple of their minor league affiliates.

As far as the "contracts from two different teams" - personal service contracts usually only take effect upon a player's retirement. If Clemens is playing for another team, then the contract with the Astros is dormant.

Answer 2

"Personal Services" is a vague category of clauses designed to add value to a contract without adding actual, up-front dollars.

In the Clemens example, his last contract with the Astros basically guaranteed him a front-office job was waiting for him whenever he decided to retire. At the time, it was probably the Yankees and Astros that were competing for his services...The 'Stros probably realized they could not compete with the Yanks dollar for dollar, so they offered something that New York could not: A guaranteed job in his hometown (which probably equates to getting paid to make a couple public appearances a month).

Another well-known PS clause was given to Kevin Brown by the Dodgers. A noted family man from Georgia, Brown was hesitant to stay on the West Coast (or at least Scott Boras told him to say that). So in addition to a ridiculous $105 million contract, the Dodgers also included one all-expenses paid trip home a month for Brown on a chartered flight.

If I remember correctly, before he signed with the Rangers, A-Rod had a deal with the Mets just about locked up, but Boras pushed just a bit too hard on that one...Apparently, in addition to $20 million per year, Boras was also demanding the Mets give him a suite of offices at Shea Stadium rent-free, where A-Rod would basically run his own marketing company.

Answer 3

He can play for another team because this is a contract that starts once his playing days are over. He will receive a salary from the Houston Astros to perform services that will be determined later. That could be almost anything ie. a roving pitching instructor, a minor league manager, public relations, scout.

Answer 4

its when you help out the young pitchers develop into good pitchers and Roger Clemens has started his personal services contract when he retired.

Answer 5

It means he hired someone to stick needles in his butt.