Interesting poll question from Bauxite Ron: "If you were a player about to be drafted or about to become a MLB free agent, would you want Scott Boras to represent you?" Explain your answer in "Comments"!
| Yes |  117 (60.62%) |
| No | 76 (39.38%) |
As always, send suggested poll questions to media.relations@battersbox.ca. No promises on what willl be used or when or for how long, but suggestions are always welcome!
I said no because you're market is no longer 30 teams when he's you're agent. My primary focus in life is not money and so I'd want my options of places to work left wide open.
I think Boras' strategy maximized income for himself and his client base on the whole, but has the ability to backfire in specific cases.
I'd like my agent to work as hard as Boras, but to also reflect my values when it comes to dealing with people across the negotiating table.
Chances are I'd be going to a good team (since they are much more likely to draft a Boras client than a bottom feeder), and I'd be getting the best deal possible.
But, I'd probably still hate Scott Boras.
In the end, I went with no, although I'm basing this on the being drafted part. If I were a free agent I might lean towards yes... as a free agent you'll have some knowledge of the situation/cities in MLB, where you do and don't want to play.
I'm sure that if you went to Boras and said "I only want to play on the West Coast" he'd get you a great deal, and probably get an East Coast team or two in on the bidding.
However, as a draftee, the risks you take are just too big to mess around with your draft position.
Yes, he typically gets a great deal for his clients. But if you're first round talent, you're getting set for life money anyways (if you're conservative with it), and the downside of becoming the next Matt Harrington* is so huge.
Not only that, but Boras seems to think that holding out for a year is a good strategy. Personally, I think that's a terrible thing to do as a draftee. If, as a draftee, you think that you can one day play in MLB, your goal needs to be to get there as soon as possible, and start that service time clock as quickly as poosible. Any decisions that delay this process seem like bad, bad moves to me.
*I realize that Boras didn't represent Harrington the first time he was drafted. However, he did tell him to turn down $1.2 million the second time he was drafted.
I've heard at least three GMs this offseason respond to a question about acquiring a free agent by saying "He's a Boras agent isn't he?". I'm not going to lie, VBF wants as big a contract as he can get, but I don't like the fact that teams will not pursue you because of the agent you have.
Early in my career, I want Boras. If I'm being drafted, who knows what could happen - if I'm a pitcher, every pitch I throw could be my last. So I want enough money to look after myself for a while in case my dream career doesn't turn out perfectly.
After the arbitration years are done, I might want to switch to another agent, and relax with a bit more career security. But then again, I have no idea what it's like to turn down several million dollars, so who knows what might happen?
I may not like Scott Boras as a person - although I wouldn't even recognize him if I walked by him on the street - but for sure I'd want him busting the GM's balls while negotiating my contract. In the immortal words of Cuba Gooding Jr. in Jerry Maguire (which may have been based on Leigh Steinberg but is probably more applicable to Boras):
"Show me the money!"
I thought about this quite a bit before I answered, "No."
I've met lawyers like Scott. Ultra aggressive, ALWAYS trying to push the outside of the envelope. You read about the successes, BUT, personally could you (I) afford to be one of the ones that got caught in the gears? AND, Scott has left a few torn to pieces in Never Never Land.
I want ALMOST ever penny I've got coming. BUT, I also want to be where I'm comfortable. There's lots of good agents, I don't need the mad dog to be happy.
While I know there are a lot of Boras haters out there, I'm not one of them. The players union should be thankful he is still an agent and not retired.