Scott Boras addresses frustrating offseason of unsigned high-profile baseball players

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Scott Boras has listened all off-season to the criticism, hate, blame, and perhaps the pent-up envy among his detractors.

His peers, his competition in the cut-throat industry of baseball agents, are loving the fact that his winter of dominating the free-agent market with record-setting contracts have come to a screeching halt.

Who would ever have envisioned that his Jung Hoo Lee contract, six years, $113 million with the San Francisco Giants, would dwarf the rest of his deals with much more celebrated players?

No one anticipated that Blake Snell would sign for only a two-year, $62 million contract, Matt Chapman for three years and $54 million or Cody Bellinger, three-years, $80 million. You’re talking about a two-time Cy Young award winner, a six-time Gold Glove winner and a former NL MVP.

And Boras still has Texas Rangers postseason hero Jordan Montgomery and six-time All-Star designated hitter J.D. Martinez on the market, trying to get them signed before opening day, which is a week away.

If the winter, and now spring, hasn’t been frustrating enough, Boras found himself as a centerpiece in an attempted coup to topple union deputy director Bruce Meyer this week.

While the Giants' press conference on Wednesday was set up to introduce Snell, but the moment it ended Boras became the center of attention, addressing a variety of complaints against him.

Boras, who spoke for nearly an hour, interrupted only by a visit with Lee, never ducked any questions, and didn’t try to hide his disgust and frustration by those taking shots at him.

Spring training contracts of Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman

It's stunning that Snell received $110 million less than free-agent starter Aaron Nola with the Philadelphia Phillies.

It’s mind-blowing that Bellinger received only $38 million more than free-agent left fielder Lourdes Gurriel with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

And how in the world is Chapman guaranteed just $9 million more than third baseman Jaimer Candelario, who signed a three-year, $45 million contract with the Cincinnati Reds?

Boras refuses to second-guess himself on any strategic decisions during these negotiations, saying his players received longer contracts with larger guarantees, but chose to take deals with opt-outs to hit the market again.

Yet, with all three players having the right to opt out after the season and hit the market again, who knows how the landscape may change.

“You can’t make judgments about this,’’ Boras said. “Heard it all, done it all, been judged, but the key thing is that we give players decisions that maybe most agents wouldn’t, because we give them optionality as opposed to total guarantee.

“The reason we do that is because most agents need the money and they will take the guarantee, which doesn’t give the player the choice of potentiating his skill level in an environment of performance where he can do much better. I don’t make those decisions, I just make sure have players have those choices.

“It doesn’t bode for me to take optionality because you get that rhetoric. I know that. But I know the negativity of it falls on me not the player.’’

Boras heard the same criticism when shortstop Carlos Correa became a free agent, and wound up signing a three-year, $105 million contract with the Minnesota Twins with an opt out before the 2019 season. He played, opted out, and nearly turned it into a $355 million contract until he flunked his physical with the Giants, but still wound up with a six-year, $200 million deal.

“You can’t make a judgement about the total amount of guarantee,’’ Boras said. “You have to wait for that situation to play out. Let’s see what happens in the end.’’

Player unrest with MLBPA, where Scott Boras' perceived influence is criticized

The Giants had a nearly 90-minute meeting Tuesday, and other teams have had private meetings in recent days to vote on whether they want Meyer replaced by Harry Marino, who spearheaded the unionization of the minor leagues last year.

Several veterans told USA TODAY Sports that it has become almost a fight between Boras clients and non-Boras clients, believing that Boras has too much influence. Others are peeved at the lack of spending. Others believe there should be more input from more players besides the eight-person executive board.

“What I’m most angry about is that the people I represent have been excluded from this initial thrust, or attempt to talk,’’ Boras told USA TODAY Sports. “They specifically excluded players  who I represented on the board from information. They have excluded players I represent from this early information. They’ve gone to two players that we don’t represent to use them as a fortress of beginning.

“Why did they do that? Go to the union. Be upfront. Let them know what your plan is. If it’s a better plan, we should all listen. We’re not denying information. But when you take a course of secrecy, selectivity, and denial of information from a category of major leaguers, you’re not going to be well-received by the totality of the group.’’

Perception of the current CBA contract

Boras sneers at the idea that the CBA is suddenly one-sided simply because spending was down by $1.1 billion this year. He was opposed to approving the deal, but says the agreement was substantially improved from the past.

“I did not agree with accepting the CBA when they did,’’ Boras said. “I did not agree with the union giving away the capital of the draft. So, I don’t agree with everything the union does. I operate for my players individually. I don’t work for the union.

“But on the other side, I can tell you clear and convincingly that labor expertise and CBA direction is a science of itself. It requires great expertise. You have to have experience. You don’t see Major League Baseball going in and placing inexperienced people to head a negotiation on their behalf.’’

Boras also wants to remind everyone that the agreement provided a new $50 million pre-arbitration pool. And while the Giants’ decision to release J.D. Davis and paying him $1.1 million one month after winning his $6.9 million salary arbitration case created anger among players, forgotten is that until the last CBA, any player who even filed for arbitration and later settled did not receive a guaranteed contract.

“Some of these players are being misinformed,’’ Boras said. “J.D. Davis got released from an arbitration contract and they're blaming that on the current union. I heard a player rep saying the union is at fault. What the player didn't understand was that prior to this CBA any arbitration-eligible player whether settlement in or hearing could be released and only get one-sixth. The right actually improved to where now all players that settle which is 97% have guaranteed contracts. So they're saying the union's not protecting these players, when in fact, they've invited further protection. ….

“So, you have inexperienced people speaking without facts and information. There has been a juggernaut of information that has occurred without it going through the filter of veteran experienced attorneys and union officials. It was done outside that. You understand why?

“The answer to that is that now that veteran players know what’s going on, or who have been in a collective bargaining negotiation or served on the executive committee, all of them support the existing personnel that is doing the work. The best thing players can do is patiently listen to veterans. Listen to people who have been through two or three bargaining agreements. Listen to veteran labor attorneys. I understand the information young players in this league are given, balance it against what they’re receiving, and I think in in time understand and make good decisions going forward.’’

Reduction in free-agent spending

Boras points out that only 10 teams bothered to increase their payroll this season, with the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres, Texas Rangers and Los Angeles Angels staying out of the marquee free-agent market.

There are a record 10 teams that are projected to be above the luxury tax this season, but teams like the Yankees and Phillies shied away from signing Snell to a one- or two-year deal because of the 110% tax surcharge.

Still, just because this winter didn’t live up to expectations, it hardly means that it will be a trend.

“Remember free agency is about the right,’’ Boras said. “That doesn’t eliminate ebbs and flows of owner conduct. The right exists. The player has it. You have to know how to utilize it, strategically appraoch it and advance it with the understanding you’re going to have market peaks and lows in a five-year agreement.

“It has nothing to do with the CBA. It has to do with owners spending a billion less this year. I’m a major-market team and I’m not spending. Is that going to go on forever? No, we know that. They will be bak in markets. So our job is to be a barometer of the market.

“We don’t create markets. We just understand them and then report them to the players and then we give them the option of more guarantee or the optionality of a higher AAV.

Difference in contracts between Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Blake Snell

It was stunning to see Yoshinobu Yamamoto sign for $325 million with the Dodgers, and nearly as surprising to see that most of the teams who were in on Yamamoto had no or limited interest in Snell.

Should there really have been a $263 million difference?

“You have people that operate from algorithmic models,’’ Boras said. “I don’t think there’s anybody in baseball that said, 'If I had to have a season out of a pitcher going into next year, who would I rather have?’ They’re both great pitchers, but one has two Cy Youngs and major-league experience or would I rather have Yamamoto.

“So, obviously that decision went beyond the short-term. Those decisions were based upon long-term thoughts, age, all of those things. Obviously, age and these algorithmic models that teams are using having a great, great factor in valuation of what they do. …

“A lot of times clubs have to feel the significant disappointment of their market before there’s a momentum to do more than just sustainment or cut it.’’

Yep, just that ol’ baseball refrain, “Wait ‘Til Next Year.’’

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Scott Boras talks about free-agent market ahead of 2024 MLB season