{"podcast":{"title":"Most Valuable Agent with Matt Hannaford","slug":"most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172","podcast_index_feed_id":6966172,"rss_url":"https://feeds.libsyn.com/538017/rss","website_url":"https://sites.libsyn.com/538017","image_url":"https://static.libsyn.com/p/assets/6/3/2/3/6323116aac6709c3d959afa2a1bf1c87/MVA_FINAL_COVER.png","author":"Matt Hannaford","episode_count":115,"summary":"Welcome to Most Valuable Agent – the podcast that gives baseball players, prospects, and fans an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to succeed in professional baseball. Hosted by Matt Hannaford, a Major League Baseball agent with years of experience in contract negotiations and player representation, this channel is a must-watch for: • Athletes looking to advance their careers • Parents supporting young players • Baseball fans who want a deeper understanding of the game beyond the field What You'll Learn: • MLB Contracts & Draft Insights – How players get signed, negotiate contracts, and maximize opportunities • The Business of Baseball – Arbitration, free agency, and how teams evaluate talent • Expert Interviews & Analysis – Conversations with players, scouts, and insiders • MLB News & Market Trends – Breaking down trades, signings, and player negotiations 👉 Subscribe now for exclusive insights from one of baseball's top agents! New episodes weekly. You can watch the full episodes on The Most Valuable Agent Youtube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@mostvaluableagent","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T22:22:08.173294+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172"},"episode":{"title":"The Hidden Negotiation Behind Your MLB Signing Bonus","slug":"the-hidden-negotiation-behind-your-mlb-signing-bonus","published_at":"2026-06-17T12:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/the-hidden-negotiation-behind-your-mlb-signing-bonus","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172","url":"https://f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9.libsyn.com/the-hidden-negotiation-behind-your-mlb-signing-bonus","audio_url":"https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/f19dff7d-cba9-4d19-b009-9fdbdd27ffc9/v1_074_MLB_Draft_MVA.mp3?dest-id=4634517","summary":"If you are a baseball parent waiting on the MLB Draft, the wait is the hard part — and rushing it is the mistake. MLB agent Matt Hannaford breaks down what actually happens in the months and weeks before draft day, so you know what to do when a team starts testing your number. Most families think a scout in the stands means their player is on the radar. Matt explains why that depends entirely on which scout is watching. There is a chain of command behind every pick: the area scout who is boots on the ground gathering information, the regional cross-checker who ranks your player against an entire region, the national cross-checker who covers the whole country, and finally the scouting director and sometimes the general manager. If the only scouts ever watching your son are area scouts, you are not getting drafted in the first three rounds — no matter how the spring season goes. You will also learn why you do not have to attend every pre-draft workout you are invited to. Matt walks through the call he had with a scouting director who told him, honestly, to send his player to a different workout — proof that an invitation is not the same as real interest. He explains when a private workout is worth the flight and the money, why a combine invitation usually beats stacking individual workouts (every team is there), and how getting invited to a workout rarely raises your value by the hundreds of thousands of dollars families imagine it will. Then Matt gets into the part every family is really waiting for: signability and the signing bonus. He lays out the three ways players set their number, how the week-before-draft \"big board\" puts your player in play at specific picks, and how teams get creative with slot money — including the strategy used by clubs like the Milwaukee Bre…","meta_description":"If you are a baseball parent waiting on the MLB Draft, the wait is the hard part — and rushing it is the mistake. MLB agent Matt Hannaford breaks down wha…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1386,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/episodes/the-hidden-negotiation-behind-your-mlb-signing-bonus/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/most-valuable-agent-with-matt-hannaford-6966172/the-hidden-negotiation-behind-your-mlb-signing-bonus.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}