The List: Scott Boras And Baseball, Pt. 1
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by Martyvburen
Everyone seems to have it out for the man who is charged with getting Alex Rodriguez his millions. Those who thought they couldn’t vilify him any more found a way when he announced Rodriguez’s opt-out during Game 4 of the World Series, partially stealing the thunder of the Red Sox and of baseball in general. Columnists and talking heads have, since that moment, been debating whether Scott Boras is, for lack of a better term, “bad for baseball.” The argument here is that not only is he not the person doing the most damage to the sport (that’s covered in Part 2), he’s not bad for the game. Scott Boras is, believe it or not, good for baseball. To wit:
His Clientele: Here is a partial list of the players whom are represented by Mr. Boras: Andruw Jones, Alex Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers, Brad Wilkerson, Barry Zito, Carlos Beltran, Magglio Ordonez, J.D. Drew, Adrian Beltre, Jason Varitek, and Derek Lowe. Name a single other agent that represents such a concentration of talent. The market has spoken, and the top talent in the Major Leagues flocks to Scott Boras. He delivers on a promise to get the best price for his clients’ services.
His Gravity: Not gravity in the sense of being serious, but in the sense of pulling everything near him into his world. Every draft centers around Boras clients for the reasons of talent and signability. Every free agent represented by Boras automatically has a mystique and, admittedly, a forcefield around him. Scott Boras is a master at keeping both himself and his clients in the news, as well as on the minds of fans and front offices; it's not difficult to figure the reason behind his A-Rod announcement timing. He is a show; he adds an unquantifialble amount of intrigue and (let's face it) fun into contract negotiations; he is a force with which to be reckoned. By himself, he has added another complete dimension to the front-office games of Baseball.
His Savvy: Who was the real loser from Rodriguez's $252 Million contract? Rodriguez? He took the money he was given. Boras? He was the winner. Tom Hicks? A resounding Yes. Had Mr. Hicks simply realized that no other team was willing to pay even close to what he was offering Rodriguez, Boras would have had no leg on which to stand. But Boras shrewdly got poor old Hicks to bid against himself to the tune of $252 Mill. Scott Boras should not be blamed for inept opposing negotiators; Mr. Hicks is to blame for heavily skewing the market, and now Boras has leverage to get every single dime he can for the rest of his clients. This is the beauty of Boras: in every negotiation of which he is a part, he is negotiating for all of his clients. He knows that the contracts for Rodriguez, Varitek, Zito, et al. will affect market value for his other clients, and acts accordingly.
So what can be done to stop the menace of out-of-control contracts that Mr. Boras perpetuates? Owner collusion is obviously a possibility, but, besides being illegal, it would never work. Fans could stop going to games and buying merchandise, but that's never going to happen in the baseball-crazy towns, such as Boston, New York, and Chicago, that drive revenues for the rest of the league. Face it: as long as there are suckers in Baseball, Scott Boras will be around fleecing the unsuspecting, paying his clients, and making the game of Baseball that much more intriguing.
P.S. Please do not accuse me of something akin to fellating Scott Boras. I merely present here an opposing point of view.
