FREE MONEY
Boras' clients ready to rule World, offseason market
HOUSTON — To the question who will win the World Series the Astros or the Nationals, the Nationals or the Astros, the answer is clear — Scott Boras. Boras represents the most stars in the 115th Fall Classic, including the Astros’ Jose Altuve and the Nationals’ Max Scherzer and Juan Soto. But for the here and now, Boras most importantly reps Washington’s Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg and Houston’s Gerrit Cole — or the likely three biggest free agents in the upcoming market. Boras will be a dominant figure this offseason, since he also represents potential free agents Nick Castellanos, Dallas Keuchel, J.D. Martinez, Mike Moustakas and Hyun-jin Ryu. Depending on how you view the market, Boras could have the top four starters — Cole, Strasburg, Ryu and Keuchel — and top two position players — Rendon and Martinez. Normally, Boras attends the World Series and makes himself available to talk about his upcoming free agent crop. But because two of his elite clients — Scherzer and Cole — were facing each other in Tuesday’s Game 1, he said he would watch alone, pulling for both. Nevertheless, when reached by phone, Boras did expound on the market.
Boras said he believes owners, in particular, have recognized the need notably for elite starting pitching, but also prime-aged stars at any position and anticipates stronger bidding than in recent slowed-down markets.
“Ironically the teams that have been willing to pay for starting pitching are in the World Series,” Boras said. “Clubs are going to look at that and certainly understand that is the formula that gives them the best chance to win a championship.”
Boras emphasized that neither Strasburg nor Martinez has made a firm decision on whether to opt out of his contract. But the expectation is both will. Strasburg has four years at $100 million left on his pact. In 2019, though, he combined durability with excellence with — so far — postseason dominance that would almost certainly net him more than $100 million.
Cole, almost without question, will top $200 million and possibly be the first $300 million pitcher. Boras likened Cole to Scherzer in age, ability and having “a very, very low pitching odometer” in terms of innings worked before free agency. Boras said he would not publicly state money goals or talk specific teams when asked if he thought the Yankees would be in it. But Boras alluded to the Yankees and others who did not obtain Cole from the Pirates after the 2017 campaign.
“Every team that didn’t get him then looks upon it with regret and the Astros look at it as going down as one of the greatest trades in history,” Boras said. “The decision whether to pursue Cole has a lot of favor because that process already has taken place. A lot of people are going to sit in a room and say, ‘Didn’t we discuss this two years ago?’ How is ownership going to view that process and decision? In the free-agent world, a lot of teams didn’t go after Max Scherzer. The owner who did get a surplus value of $100 million more than he paid and has gotten a World Series.”
As for Rendon, Boras said he is glad the third baseman has reached the World Series because “there was a lack of understanding that he was a superstar player and it has been revealed with certainty [in October] that he is.”