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Assessing MLB super-agent Scott Boras' forgettable spring
Scott Boras is the most (in)famous agent in MLB history, having engineered mega-deals for stars Alex Rodriguez, Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, among many others.
This offseason, however, things did not go as planned for Boras and his clients, who signed deals below what their agent most likely wanted.
Contracts signed by Boras clients since Spring Training began:
— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 27, 2024
Cody Bellinger: 3 years, $80M w/ opt-outs
Blake Snell: 2 years, $62M w/ an opt-out
Matt Chapman: 3 years, $54M w/ opt-outs
JD Martinez: 1 year, $12M
Jordan Montgomery: 1 year, $25M w/ a vesting player option pic.twitter.com/th6KlE3yhO
Let's assess how Boras clients fared:
OF/1B Cody Bellinger | Chicago Cubs | Loss for Boras
"Chicago got the comforts of a 'Full Belli.' They're going to have to loosen their belts to keep Bellinger."
— Yankees Videos (@snyyankees) November 8, 2023
- Scott Boras on Cody Bellinger's free agency pic.twitter.com/J1IpB31ps7
Boras talked a big game when it came to Bellinger and for good reason. The slugger finished 10th in NL MVP voting in 2023 after a massive comeback season (.307 BA, 95 RBI) with the Cubs in his age-27 season.
However, Bellinger ultimately signed an extremely team-friendly deal with the Cubs, hardly a "loosen their belts" contract. Nearly $27M in average annual value is nothing to scoff at, but the three-year term is shorter than you would expect for a player of Bellinger's caliber and age.
LHP Blake Snell | San Francisco Giants | Small win for Boras
Scott Boras says that Blake Snell is the most dominant free-agent pitcher available and that Jordan Montgomery has less mileage on his arm than Yamamoto. pic.twitter.com/mUgYCEfciJ
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) December 6, 2023
Snell is a fascinating case, as while 2023 was his second Cy Young Award-winning season, he is also a 31-year-old lefty who seldom makes it past the fifth inning. The rumblings of a deal in the neighborhood of $300 million were unrealistic, but Boras' assessment was more or less correct. Snell was the highest-end arm available, which usually leads to a big free-agent deal.
The $62M contract is huge, but the two-year deal is much less than what Snell (14-9, 2.25 ERA with the Padres in 2023) must have sought.
Apparently, teams were wary of a long-term investment in a player who has a limited arm. Still, it's hard to imagine Boras could have gotten a better deal.
3B Matt Chapman | San Francisco Giants | Loss for Boras
Scott Boras on why Matt Chapman gave up a more guaranteed contract to bet on himself #sfgiants #giants #sf #sanfrancisco #bayarea #jimonbase #mlb #sports #signing #chapman #mattchapman #goldglove #podcast #freeagent #goldglover #allstar pic.twitter.com/7EjajhLWRk
— 'Jim On Base' Show ️ (@JimOnBaseShow) March 4, 2024
Boras claimed that Chapman, 30, "bet on himself" and passed up "way more" guaranteed money. The question is whether we should take that statement at face value.
Given an option to secure long-term cash, what veteran over the age of 30 would sign a short-term deal that has him set to hit free agency again at 33?
OF/DH J.D. Martinez | New York Mets | Win for Boras
There hasn't been nearly as much buzz about Martinez as there has been around Boras' other clients, which is hardly surprising. Martinez is 36 and until a nice bump last year (33 HRs, 103 RBI with Dodgers), he was showing signs of decline.
Martinez signed with the Mets for $12 million, a fine salary at his age but a bit low in light of his .893 OPS last year in 113 games.
LHP Jordan Montgomery | Arizona Diamondbacks | Loss for Boras
After helping defeat the Diamondbacks in the World Series with the Rangers, Montgomery flipped sides, signing a one-year, $25 million deal with Arizona. Like Snell, Montgomery is a lefty and 31. In 2023, he took on an impressive workload for the Cardinals/Rangers (32 starts, 188.2 innings).
This Boras client secured an appropriate average annual value but for a shockingly short term.
Have teams grown weary of the sport's biggest agent? It will be fascinating to see how Boras adjusts his strategy, most notably with his client Juan Soto, a 25-year-old superstar entering a contract year with the New York Yankees.
More must-reads:
- Watch: Mike Trout hits first home run of 2024 MLB season off Corbin Burnes
- 10 predictions for the 2024 MLB season
- The 'MLB active career leaders in strikeouts' quiz
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