Tough Winter

Sporting Goods

For years, the name Scott Boras struck fear in the heart of baseball general managers everywhere. Sports columnists and pundits have made him out to be a character in the mold of a Harry Potter villain, unceasing in his desire to get top dollar for his clients and completely oblivious to their non-monetary desires or needs. And forgot about the fans. They've never been part of the Boras calculation. In the end, Boras always gets the money he wants. Boras always wins.

Then began the 2006 offseason. First there was Daisuke Matasuzaka. Even though Dice-K got $52 million despite having never before pitched in the major leagues, it is never good for a person's credibility, in this case Boras, to say something like this, "Free agent pitchers who are 26 and have Matsuzaka-like ability receive salaries in excess of $100 million over five or six years in free agency," and then take a contract for almost half that amount. Given the vagaries of the "posting" process, I guess that was the only bit of pressure Boras could assert. Still, Boras looks more than a little foolish.

Next, however, may be the disaster that really hurts Boras's reputation. Boras has made a habit out of signing his players to long-term big money deals that include the ability of the player to opt-out before the end of the contract and become a free agent again. Just a brilliant idea for a player who actually lives up to a long-term contract given that every year the salaries increase by an estimated 10%. A-Rod has such a clause. So did J.D. Drew.

Just two-years ago, Drew signed a 5-year, $55 million contract with the Dodgers with a clause allowing him to opt-out after two years. So this year, sensing the crazy baseball market, Boras told Drew to opt-out of his contract. As we all know, Drew did, leaving a guaranteed $33 million on the table, and promptly agreed to a 5-year, $70 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. All's well in the Boras world. His client gets two more years guaranteed and $37 million more in guaranteed money.

Except there is one little snag. Drew failed his physical and the Red Sox refuse to finalize the contract. There is now talk of voiding the contract, or at best for Drew, reducing the guaranteed money and making much of the contract incentive-laden. Or giving the Sox an opt-out if Drew misses a certain number of games.

If Drew ends up getting less than $11 million a year guaranteed, or in the end, gets hurt and doesn't end up making $33 million, it should, but probably won't, destroy Boras's reputation. How could Boras encourage an injury plagued Drew to opt-out of a guaranteed $33 million contract without having him get a physical first? Presumably a physical was done. But if they found any questions about his client's health, which were obviously there, how in good conscience can Boras advise him to opt-out of his deal? This has disaster written all over it.

Of course, this is all preliminary. Maybe the Red Sox are so scared of Boras and so scared that Boras won't direct other clients to the Red Sox that they will cave. Or maybe Drew gets his incentive-laden deal, not get hurt, and everything works out. But if I were a ballplayer looking for an agent, this entire saga would make me reconsider working with Boras. It certainly seems clear that Boras only has one thing in mind, the size of his commission.