04/26/24
March 31, 2009
The good news: if you're the worst team in baseball is the first pick in this year's draft looks like a keeper. The bad news is that his agent, Scott Boras, already has his right-hand media man, Jon Heyman, on the case.
There is a part of me that would love for this to blow up in Boras' face.
There's a realistic part of me that says that several pitching-starved franchises would be willing to fork out $50M on a potential Roger Clemens.
The fact of the matter is; Scott Boras knows what the owners in MLB are willing to do and what they're unable to bind to (boycotting his players as a collective unit). As such, Scott Boras will dictate baseball's salary demands until the idea of a hard cap is proposed.
posted by dfleming at 03:00 PM on March 31, 2009
Also, if he got hit by a truck, I'd sleep better at night.
posted by dfleming at 03:02 PM on March 31, 2009
They are burning up good will fast in the DC area.
Yeah, it's too bad. I feel, in a grumpy old man way, that some of that is due to the ESPNification of things where every franchise should be able to turn things around immediately like the Falcons (I can't stand how much they and the Dolphins are getting mentioned in the run up to the draft, like last year was some sort of sea change and things will be better). The rest is residue from the previous administration. The one positive take away from the Expos becoming the Nationals is at least the MLB got rid of Jeffrey Loria, right?
There's a realistic part of me that says that several pitching-starved franchises would be willing to fork out $50M on a potential Roger Clemens.
I think it's crap and that's why I wove the Heyman link into the post* even though I happened to come across it randomly today. I think Boras is in denial about the power shift from players to owners in the market and keeps sending trial balloons up through friendly media members who happily report King Boras is about to make another killing. Any owner thinking about ponying up $50 million for a prospect as though it were like the fee for Dice-K should have two words in his head: Brien Taylor.
Sports journalists are laying the power shift at the feet of the economy and I'm sure much of that is true, but I wonder if we've seen a permanent shift in salary leverage as more teams become aware of stats and how they can find replacement players without paying full boat. If this were 1989 or even 1999, a guy like Gary Sheffield would never get cut in Spring Training. He'd just hit .200/20/65 and suck, like every aging star the Red Sox ever imported to ding up the Green Monster.
* In the interests of full disclosure, I also hate Heyman for being a complete partisan hack when he was working for Newsday or whatever NY-based rag he called cave.
posted by yerfatma at 04:20 PM on March 31, 2009
Practically all the teams in baseball backed off from Manny and his bullshit demands. I'd like to see them do the same thing with regards to this guy. Let Washington deal with him, and if the price isn't right, let him and Boras go fuck themselves. The game will survive. Sure the players union will throw a fit, and it will probably wind up in court, but so be it. That's really the only way changes will come about to keep unproven players and their jackoff agents from trying to swindle the game. Overpaying for guys who have actually played a big league game is one thing, but overpaying for an unproven dude will wind up taking the game down a road it will never recover from.
posted by dyams at 04:57 PM on March 31, 2009
Boras has been known to tinker with pitching mechanics if I remember correctly. And in general has been accused of messing up some good players by sticking his nose where it doesn't belong - in the coaching end of things.
Here's a kid throwing this hard, and the list of prior players with high velocity that have gotten seriously injured or not reached potential is a mile long.
I worry about Boras taking a kid like this and totally ruining him.
To the point where I wonder what kind of advice the kid is getting from his support circle that leads him to decide to go with Boras as his agent.
Boras is plenty persuasive and all, but I hope someone warned the kid that this may head down a road that is not good.
I thought the A-Rod thing was going to be the beginning of the end for Boras, but here he is kicking strong, making fools of the Dodgers with Manny, etc. I guess his time in the sun isn't up yet.
posted by beaverboard at 05:18 PM on March 31, 2009
Whatever happens won't help Washington in the long run; it's just not a baseball town.
posted by Hugh Janus at 08:17 PM on March 31, 2009
Beyond the fact that Boras is a douchenozzle who is really screwing up baseball (and an alum of the school in which I am currently enrolled), that was a really well put together, informative FPP. Thanks for the effort on that one YFM.
maybe when I'm all grown up, I can manipulate and fuck up something millions hold dear
posted by tahoemoj at 08:31 PM on March 31, 2009
Also, if he got hit by a truck, I'd sleep better at night.
Now now. With Scott Boras around, there's no need for syrup of ipecac.
(tahoemoj, does this mean we should count on you to upend him in the punchbowl at the next reunion?)
posted by lil_brown_bat at 10:03 PM on March 31, 2009
I'll do what I can.
posted by tahoemoj at 02:33 AM on April 01, 2009
Sports journalists are laying the power shift at the feet of the economy and I'm sure much of that is true, but I wonder if we've seen a permanent shift in salary leverage as more teams become aware of stats and how they can find replacement players without paying full boat.
See, but Boras understands one thing: you don't need 5-8 teams to bid on a player. You need one team who can't afford to not sign a player. We never heard of a single offer from another team and yet Manny got his $22.5M because L.A knew they couldn't win without him.
I understand that the .240/15/60 guys are taking a pay cut but the supreme players, the make-or-break players (apparently, Strasburg) are still making top dollar. The questionable stat sheets (i.e, Adam Dunn's homer or nothing offense, or Gary Sheffield's no production, or Jason Varitek's...not hitting) are being re-valued, no doubt about that.
But Boras knows that in the 30 teams that are out there, one's willing to pony up to pay for the future Roger Clemens. As such, with that kind of hype, he doesn't need to get universal approval, he just needs one desperate owner out there. Do you really think what he needs isn't out there?
'cause the Yankees have big pockets if noone else do.
posted by dfleming at 09:07 AM on April 01, 2009
But Boras knows that in the 30 teams that are out there, one's willing to pony up to pay for the future Roger Clemens. As such, with that kind of hype, he doesn't need to get universal approval, he just needs one desperate owner out there. Do you really think what he needs isn't out there?
That's true for free agency. Boras has a much more difficult time with the draft. He has to convince a team that isn't a winning team with or without this guy to pay this kind of money for some way down the road when he becomes a star. If he doesn't, his guy has to find some minor, minor league to play in this year, and hope for something better next year.
posted by bperk at 10:40 AM on April 01, 2009
Yeah, the draft is a different animal because it puts almost all of the power in the team's hands. Even more so in baseball where draft picks aren't tradeable. Your only option is to sit the player out a year, which means him playing (and risking injury) for next-to-nothing (or actually nothing if he goes to college) and losing a year's pay. It may make sense if you can get the weaker teams to just pass on him in the draft by telling the media about your crazy, fictional demands, but it's a risk.
posted by yerfatma at 10:45 AM on April 01, 2009
Is it allowable for a team to draft a player and then trade his rights without signing him to a contract?
posted by bender at 01:07 PM on April 01, 2009
I would love to see the owners start to ignore Scott Boras and his ilk by simply not touching his clients at any price. Of course, if this happens, the Players' Association cries "collusion" (likely at Mr. B's urging), the whole deal winds up in court, lawyers get rich, Senators and Congressmen play to the grandstand, and nothing changes. Call me cynical, but I've been around for enough years to have seen one form or another of this to know the eventual outcome.
Boras had to work a little harder this year. First of all, Teixeira realized that he had a choice of large market teams, and long before the negotiations approached the boiling point, his wife had decided that New York was the place. (This is my opinion, formed after reading some of the comments that Teixeira and others have made since the signing.) Give Scott B credit, he was able to play the Red Sox against NYY to get the price up to a nice level. I don't think Boston was unaware of what was happening, but anytime they can make the Yankees overpay is a good time. True enough, the Dodgers were bidding against themselves for Manny, but even then the contract is structured in such a way as to deny a complete victory to Boras.
Jon Heyman's writing can best be summed up as a C- in Freshman English Composition for Engineering and Computer Science majors. I'm not running down engineers or comp-sci majors, after all, I are a enjunear, but Heyman is on the low end of meeting a low set of expectations. The analysis of his writing on Curt Schilling says it all.
I'll end my essay with one comment about the Washington Nationals. How can anyone be a fan of the team that just released one of my all-time players? I'm talking about Wily Mo Pena, who is on my all-time "I Don't Know How to Spell my First Name" team. He's there with Jhonny Peralta and Chone Figgins, and managed by the immortal Jimy Williams.
posted by Howard_T at 01:31 PM on April 01, 2009
Of course, if this happens, the Players' Association cries "collusion"
Yeah, but, uhm, it would be.
I'm talking about Wily Mo Pena
I'm right there with you. I always feel a little bad for him as if he'd been given the chance to properly develop his game in the minors (he was brought up to the majors early because of irregularities in how he was originally signed, no fault of his) he might have been a talent. He was also part of one of the most entertaining outfields ever when he was with Cincinnati. No matter how important the game was or wasn't, they made every play into an adventure.
And I like to think he really is "wily".
posted by yerfatma at 02:13 PM on April 01, 2009
It may make sense if you can get the weaker teams to just pass on him in the draft by telling the media about your crazy, fictional demands, but it's a risk.
Correct me if I'm wrong, but if a bunch of teams pass on him, can a team who is willing to pay him that amount draft him and pay it? The risk is minimal if there is one team out there who wants him for $10m/year. Boras must believe that team is out there.
As far as I understood it, Boras could just be eliminating the low-payroll teams from drafting his player so he can sign with, say, the Mets or Yankees and get a much higher salary.
posted by dfleming at 02:49 PM on April 01, 2009
By the way, I also wanted to applaud the structure of this post. This is why I come around here. Kudos, yerfatma.
posted by dfleming at 02:51 PM on April 01, 2009
can a team who is willing to pay him that amount draft him and pay it?
Yeah, that's what I mean by "if you can get the weaker teams to pass", but if a DC or KC or someone else thinks you're bluffing, you're in a bit of a bind. I don't know how many times Boras can pull a J.D. Drew on a prospect without starting to hurt his existing big league clients in negotiations with clubs.
There has to be someone who's the #2 baseball agent, right? There's someone out there signing other players to decent contracts without the noise and sideshow. If you've already made $10 million+ in your career, why not skip Boras?
posted by yerfatma at 03:43 PM on April 01, 2009
Ah, yes, J.D. Drew. We Philly fans remember him not-so-fondly! Screw Boras and the hole from which he came out!
posted by jjzucal at 04:10 AM on April 02, 2009
Wow, what a mess! I don't know where I fall on whether the Nationals should sign a rookie for more than $10 million. I wonder if last year's failure helps or hurts the Nationals in negotiating with Strasburg.
The Nationals need to do something. They are burning up good will fast in the DC area. Everyone was excited about having a team, but not a team this bad. I can't figure out why they don't give Rizzo the GM job.