The San Francisco Giants continued their splashy offseason by adding reigning NL Cy Young Blake Snell, who officially signed in the team on Wednesday.
President of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi soaked in the spotlight during Snell's introductory press conference, opening things up with a joke that didn't draw much laughter.
"I actually just got off the phone with the White House," Zaidi said. "I called to ask if negotiating three deals with Scott Boras in one offseason qualifies you for a presidential medal of freedom. They said they'd get back to me."
Snell was one of Boras' many clients to hit free agency this offseason, along with All-Star third baseman Matt Chapman and Korean outfielder Jung Hoo Lee. All three signed with San Francisco, and for considerably less than they were projected to get when the offseason began.
Snell inked a two-year, $62 million contract, rather than the $200 million deal he was initially demanding. Chapman, meanwhile, settled for a three-year, $54 million contract after entering the winter looking for roughly $150 million.
Of course, Boras was present at the press conference Wednesday, sitting with Snell one table over. While he didn't directly address Zaidi's joke, Boras did credit Giants manager Bob Melvin with forcing his clients' hands and drawing the three of them to the Bay.
"I told Farhan this is kinda like hockey – unless you have a hat trick, you're really not doing your job," Boras said. "Bob has actually cost me a lot of money this offseason cause I have players that really, really love playing for Bob."
Boras has long been, far and away, the most dominant agent in baseball. His status has been challenged this offseason, though, in part due to how his clients fared in free agency and in part due to an ongoing strife within the MLB Players Association.
Executive cracking jokes at his expense may be the least of Boras' concerns now, as he is in the midst of navigating a fragile situation with MLBPA Executive Director Tony Clark, chief negotiator Bruce Meyer and Harry Marino.
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