As a fan of baseball, I hate Scott Boras. He is "The Baseball Anti-Christ." But to be fair, this guy is damn good at his job. I mean... he is a sports super-agent. We should probably call him Agent Octuple-Oh-Seven (000000007); an "oh"for the amount of zeros that are generally found in his clients' contracts. Like Bond, Boras is not a negotiator; he's an enforcer. Arguably the most powerful man in baseball, the presence of Boras scares off most owner's and GM's; the only ones willing to play ball are those with a near-infinite source of cash (see Yankees, New York, and Red Sox, Boston).
Let's take a look at what makes Boras so hated (and, conversely, so good). Boras has always been known for the ability to get his client's more money than they were considered to be worth. He etched his name in the record books in 2000 when he earned Alex Rodriguez a 10 year, $252 million deal; the largest, by far, in baseball history. Even more interesting was the sequence of events that went on last offseason after Rodriguez put up one of the best offensive seasons in recent memory. With just three years and $75 million remaining on his contract, and an opt-out available, Boras advised ARod to opt out because he was confident he could fetch a shiny, new $300 million contract. At the time, it certainly seemed plausible. Unfortunately for Boras and Rodriguez, the events that unfolded were embarrassing and detrimental to their relationship - but it didn't stop Rodriguez from signing another 10 year deal, this time worth $275 million (Boras didn't quite live up to expectations). Though it was far from Boras' finest moment, he had just negotiated the most lucrative contract in sports history for Rodriguez through his age 42 season.
In 2006, Boras had a 28-year old three-time All-Star (with a Cy Young sitting on his mantel) by the name of Barry Zito. Using Zito's excellent credentials, Boras touted him as the next Sandy Koufax. As good as Zito had been, there are few people that could have effectively made that argument to a Major League GM; fortunately for Barry, one of those few people happened to be Scott Boras. And Boras sold the West Coast surfer dude just as you would expect (and probably know): flawlessly. Brian Sabean bought the bullshit and gave Zito a 7 year, $126 million contract, making him the richest pitcher in baseball history. (As a quick aside, does Brian Sabean even count as a Major League GM? Maybe I'll write about this at some other time, but there had to have been someone in that organization telling him that Zito was NOT worth $126 million. Not only did this deal blow up in Sabean's face, but it royally fucked the rest of the league. Now, when Johan negotiates his contract extension and C.C. is looking for a new home, all they have to say is, "Barry Zito makes $16 million per." Once that sentence is uttered, there is a mutual understanding between team and player and the offer is automatically bumped up to $20 million annually - and then negotiations begin. Thanks for setting the market, Brian.)
To be fair to Sabean and the Giants, no one expected Zito to be the bust he has been, especially in the anemic NL West. I thought he was a #3 starter that could pass as a #2 in San Francisco; probably worth 4-5 years and $13-14 million per. But Boras sold him like a top five pitcher in baseball, and he got paid accordingly. All it takes is one idiot, and Boras found him, ate him up, and spit out straight cash.
Hell... Take a look at Mark Teixeira. It's been stated that New York was his desired destination this whole time, but they just didn't have the funds ... just kidding ... the intention to throw $175+ million at him. I am not going to say that Boras negotiated flawlessly here, because I don't believe he expected the Yankees to jump in at the last minute. He bluffed in Texas with the Sox, and John Henry called his bluff. Boras was going to have to take the 8 years, $168 million without an opt-out or NTC, but because he played out his bluff for as long as possible, he got what he was looking for. I liken what happened with Tex to that scene in Casino Royale when Bond loses that first hand to Le Chiffre, but discovers his tell. Le Chiffre (Boras) was bluffing; Bond (Sox FO) knew he was bluffing; but Le Chiffre stood strong on the bluff and caught the straight (the Yankees offer) on the river (the last minute). When you're as good as Boras, some luck has to be involved.
Boras even runs the amateur draft. Rick Porcello dropped from a top five pick, where all the small-market clubs were drafting, to 27th overall. The most talented RHP in the draft fell to 27th because teams were simply AFRAID of what Boras would demand. In this year's draft, the Pirates actually ponied up and were willing to pay #2 overall pick Pedro Alvarez. Boras negotiated until the deadline and landed Alvarez a deal that would pay him a $6 million bonus - significantly above the slot "suggestion" (what the hell is this slot suggestion, by the way?). But because Alvarez was not able to sign the papers, Boras used this as an opportunity to deny an agreement had been reached by the deadline. To make a long story short, Boras caused a big stink and ended up getting a deal worth... get this... $355,000 more. Just so he could say Alvarez was the highest paid player in the draft.
From a guy who has a desire to be the best at he does, I respect Scott Boras. I may hate the man, but I respect him because he is the best sports agent on the planet. As an aspiring FO executive, he is someone that I would never want to deal with. For an aspiring sports agent, this is a guy to emulate. To Agent 000000007: You are a terrific, terrible person.
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