Based upon numerous articles, sports talk shows, and apparently baseball executives; Scott Boras has overplayed his hand.
The way I look at it; Scott Boras played everyone else.
On the final day of the baseball season (WS-Game 4) and on the biggest stage of all, Alex Rodriguez and Scott Boras "leaked" information stating that A-Rod was opting out of his record breaking contract with the Yankees in order to fetch what will surely be a new record breaking contract. Upon opting-out Boras has said the only way the Yankees could have stopped Rodriguez from going into free agency was to offer a 10 year/$350 million contract.
Now, people are piling on Boras for over playing his hand, over estimating the value of his client, and being the laughing stock of agents for once in his life as A-Rod appears to be near to signing a deal worth a guaranteed 10 year $270-280 million contract BEFORE incentives without Boras doing any negotiating.
So here is why I think we all got played.
1) Boras over valued his client intentionally. He said $350 million to make $280 before incentives seem like a bargain. $280 before incentives is still the most lucrative deal in the history of sports without the incentives.
2) Some executives have said that there was no other team that could have legitimately approached giving A-Rod more than $225 to $250 Million for 10 years and the incentives would have been much lower. Boras did not under estimate the market. He judged the market perfectly. He knew that there would not be other suitors even close to what the Yankees could do. So he high balled them and has convinced everyone that he is shamed because his client is going to accept an offer 10% less than he wanted him to get. When in reality, Boras appears to have gotten his client about 10% more than any other team could offer...BEFORE incentives.
3) A-Rod is a manipulative man. He knows the Yankees need him just as much as he knows that he needs them. I think, without evidence of course, that A-Rod and Boras planned all of this. It is well documented that Boras will go to extreme measures to get clients top dollar. Maybe extreme measure meant looking like a fool so A-Rod gets an extra 30 million and he takes a nice 5% off of that. If they were inclined to promote themselves during game 4 of the World Series then why wouldn't they mind a little more shame in the name of greed.
4) Lastly, for over a decade, Scott Boras has proven to be a better judge of the market and have more intelligence than any other agent and numerous owners in baseball. I fail to see how his client getting 10% more than any other team was prepared to offer is a failure or why that would suddenly change when dealing his more prized possession.
Alex Rodriguez and Scott Boras are in on it all ladies and gentlemen. Most people have fallen for it...this humble blogger has not. Either way, think about and you may see the truth is in the 10% premium the Yankees are about to pay on the most expensive free agent in the history of sports.
1 comment:
I gotta say, I don't buy it. While your argument certainly seems plausible, I have a hard time believing it. I certainly agree that the timing of the opt out, regardless on whom the blame rests, has tarnished A-Rod as greedy and until he reaches a significant milestone in his career (i.e. home run record) he will be stuck with the Greedy moniker.
I honestly don't know that the Non-Boras deal was preconceived. I honestly have to wonder if A-Rod, after having realized that no team other than the Yankees could possibly afford him without him taking a $100M pay cut, swallowed his pride and went back to a place he really didn't want to leave in the first place. I understand that my last sentence almost perfectly dovetails into your original piece (He doesn't want to leave so let's set up a scenario where NY thinks they get him for a deal and he still winds up making more than he was before) but when I also consider the fact that he has often gone against the somewhat-questionable judgment of Boras only to reconsider and cave, I wonder if there is some sincerity in what has transpired. I wonder if wasn't more than the ultra-bright star being readjusted to the lens of reality. (Although it is truly laughable to put the ideas of pro-athelte's salaries and reality in the same sentence)
Additionally, in the time which led up to the new deal, A-Rod was taking very personally all of the criticism that surfaced. That is the stuff of depression and seriously sleepless nights which can be awful demons to live with. In the end, realizing that he could still get a bmp in pay which will keep him well fed for eons to come might have been worth the peace of mind of just getting this whole thing over with by swallowing a sizable piece of humble pie.
Did they plan it? Maybe, but I doubt it. I think it was a case of greed on the part of Boras, the preeminent puppet master, which grossly underestimated just how much A-Rod would stand up for himself. Boras still makes out like a bandit and simply has to deal with looking like a jackass for a while.
Maybe Manny Ramirez can give him some pointers on how to deal with it.
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