Nez Balelo is probably one of the biggest names in baseball right now. A super agent with clients like Shohei Ohtani and Sandy Alcantara, Balelo is considered to be one of the most powerful agents in the world right now. But surprisingly, for the man who has helped make deals worth more than $4 billion, being an agent was never his first choice. What was his first choice? His history is nothing short of fascinating.

Balelo’s life is a tale of perseverance and never giving up. Here we go in-depth into his life and talk about the events that triggered this once minor league player into an agent who is about to make a deal that’s worth more than $500 million.

Nez Balelo – a former player turned businessman

Nez Balelo started his career as a shortstop. He signed a pro contract in 1985 and the Seattle Mariners drafted him. The young man was all ready to create his path as a major league player when tragedy struck.

Balelo was working in a construction job and fell 40ft down an elevator shaft onto a concrete slab. He had his entire body shattered due to this accident and saw the same happen to his major league dreams. He had just gotten married to his wife, Lisa, and this came as a massive turning point in their lives.

Balelo recovered to play 4 years of minor league baseball. Eventually, he decided to open schools and facilities for young players who wanted to make a career in baseball. Simultaneously, the man worked as a scout for the Atlanta Braves. In some time, his schools had become big enough to have inculcated state-of-the-art infrastructure in them.

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But eventually, as is the theme of his life, he had to have another transformative change in his circumstances. Though this one was of his own accord. Balelo sold his businesses and schools to enter the sports business as an agent. He became a member of the Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and became one of the biggest reasons for their ever-growing portfolio. He with CAA has negotiated contracts worth over $4 billion dollars, has constantly got first-draft picks, and is about to negotiate the biggest contract in baseball history.

Balelo’s role in the $500 million deal of Shohei Ohtani

Nez Balelo is again in the headlines because of his star client, the Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani. The two-way phenom has entered free agency. Balelo will play a massive role in Ohtani’s potential deal worth $500 million.

Balelo has consistently shown his pedigree in negotiating big contracts. He has contracts like Ryan Braun’s $145 million with the Milwaukee Browns in his CV. So he knows how to deal with high-pressure, high-value propositions.

So it is very clear that with Nez Balelo at his side, Ohtani will find it easier to make the decision. Ohtani has already told people that his focus is on winning, so it’ll be interesting to see which team he deems to be the one that has the potential for winning. Whoever he chooses, however, one thing will not change. He and his agent will be creating history before the end of this offseason.

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