Published on Show Me Mizzou Dec. 19, 2024
Story by Alex Schiffer, BJ ’17
When MLB executives see Evan Green (BJ ’14), they are often on opposite sides of the table arguing over a player’s salary.
The Mizzou journalism grad turned sports agent has carved out a niche while working at Creative Arts Agency. He is the giant talent agency’s head of contracts and go-to for baseball arbitration cases. In 2024, CAA represented a record-breaking 12 players at the MLB All-Star Game, including Shohei Ohtani, Trea Turner and Noah Syndergaard.
Green has argued on behalf of more than 100 baseball players, including stars such as Braves ace Max Fried and Astros pitcher Josh Hader. After graduating from Mizzou, Green went to law school at the University of Miami before getting hired by CAA. He started out as an assistant for Brodie Van Wagenen, who was the head of CAA’s baseball division.
A year and a half into the job, Van Wagenen was hired to be the New York Mets general manager. It was October 2018, and baseball’s offseason was about to start. The timing created an opportunity for Green.
“Alright, here's your shot to run it. We don’t have time to hire someone,” Green remembers his bosses telling him.
Green has been in the role ever since. In addition to his journalism degree, he considers his time working as a tutor in Mizzou’s athletic department a key education component for his job. It helped him understand the psyche of athletes, which can’t be taught in a classroom.
“I think it's being able to talk to people [and] knowing your facts,” Green says. “That’s a combo of both J-School and law school. I think being well-spoken and well-written really opens a lot of doors in life — on top of the relationship piece being crucial.”
Green’s first big arbitration case hit close to home. The St. Louis native was heavily involved in then-Cardinals pitcher Jack Flaherty’s negotiation in February 2021. The Cardinals submitted a salary of $3 million. Green and his team pushed back.
“The whole town knew what was going on. All my friends and family knew, being from St. Louis,” Green said. “So I thought, ‘I’m either going to have a highly publicized win or loss.’”
Ultimately, Green won the case on behalf of Flaherty, getting him $3.9 million for the year. The outcome typifies Green’s approach, rooted in clear communication and sharp analysis.
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