Battling with Boras and 2007-08 Trades in Review

November is a sad time for baseball fans. It marks the end of the baseball season the beginning of a long period in which their appetite for the game can be satisfied through only trade rumors and free agent signings. As I explored the blogosphere, I found and commented on two very interesting posts, one about a baseball agent and another analyzing trades. First, I found a post by Darren Heitner on SportsAgentBlog.com. In his post, Boras May Soon Experience "Total Hell", Heitner discusses a recent arbitration ruling that decided Gary Sheffield had to pay his former agent Scott Boras $550,00 (5% of his $11 million buyout) for his services in negotiating the deal. The second post I commented was on BaseballAnalysts.com. The 2007-08 Winter Trading Season in Review by Marc Hulet. In this post, Hulet covers what he sees as the six biggest trades from last winter and discusses how the course of the 2008 season has changed our perceptions of these trades and the winning and losing teams in them.

Boras May Soon Experience "Total Hell"

First of all, I would like to thankyou Darren for bringing to the audiences attention such an interesting topic of discussion. Interestingly, Scott Boras (pictured below) is one of the best known names in baseball, none of which can be attributed to his actual accomplishments on the field. Instead, he is demonized by baseball fans and front office fans alike for his ability to get huge contract offers for players he represents. I remember when Sheffield initially made this statement regarding Boras and to be honest, I was pretty surprised.

In the past few years, as Boras has become more and more of a negative figure in the baseball world, players he represents have begun dismissing him as they begin contract negotiations with teams. To be honest, I think Boras has unfairly received his bad reputation. The business of sports agency is no different from working in the the front office of a MLB team or playing for one of those teams. A person from any of these three occupational choices will all look to make money first. I just find it ridiculous that teams are able to turn fans against Boras simply because he fails to give in to their contract demands.

I think it has become very clear in the past few years that MLB organizations are making huge profits and if these profits are not in turn invested into top notch players (Boras only represents established stars or ’sure-thing’ draft picks), then the team’s front office and ownership are instead the only one’s profiting. This seems to create unfortunate circumstances in which the teams look to acquire talent at below market price. One must, however, also consider that many of the players that Boras represents, Manny Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez and Garry Sheffield, all are marquee players and likely return the full value of their contracts (even at $20 million or over a year). In just additional ticket sales, merchandising and general fan excitement, Boras claimed (on ESPN’s Jim Rome is Burning) that Manny could return a $25 million dollar a year investment by the Dodgers, not to mention possibly lead them back to the playoffs and perhaps the World Series, as Manny almost managed to do that in only have a season this past year.

In all honesty, I do not quite understand the grounds on which Sheffield claims Boras deserves nothing for his services in the negotiating of the elimination of Sheffield’s $11 million contract. I know Sheffield was planning on leaving Boras and did negotiate his contract with the Yankees himself, but nonetheless, Boras negotiated the elimination of his former contract and simply by the contract he had with Sheffield, he is owed his 5%. I find it a little strange that Sheffield, who made $11 million in the transaction, is going to be so picky about $550,000 when he is currently paid over $13 million.

It seems to me like most of the animosity towards Boras is coming from players and teams that feel Boras is simply reducing their profit margins and therefore standing in the way of them making as large a profit as possible. Perhaps my view is partially biased because I hope to one day work as a sports agent. It just seems to me that players in the league are making so much money (in a large part due to people such as Scott Boras) as are the teams (in a large part due to the players that Boras represents). I guess even though Boras provides a valuable service to players and is the middle man for teams attempting to acquire all the best players, everyone would prefer to pay less for his services and make more for themselves.

I want to know if you see this arbitration decision having any bearing on future events in the world of baseball agency. I think that the panel judged rightly that Boras deserved his share of the settlement and this goes a long way in protecting the rights of agents, even if that agent is despised by a majority of the baseball world. For me, all I can do is give kudos to Boras for reaching the pinnacle of his respected occupation.

Response from Darren Heitner:

Strong comment. I believe that you are correct on many of the points you have made. Even though writers constantly frame Boras in a negative light, he continues to get some of the highest earning clients year in and out. The arbitration decision is good for sports agents. It sends a message to players that they should think twice before trying to stiff their agent after the agent put in hard work to get the player to where he is today. Our labor is not free and must be compensated for accordingly.

The 2007-08 Winter Trading Season in Review

(Please note: my comment may not be immediately displayed in the comments section because as a first time poster my comment must first be approved before they will be automatically and immediately displayed)

Thank you Marc for a great post about a topic that really fascinates me. Looking back on the biggest trades of the past off-season can be either a very satisfying experience or a horribly painful one. I thought your analysis of each trade was excellent and I found it difficult to disagree with many of your conclusions about which team was the winner.

I thoroughly enjoyed your thoughts on the Tampa Bay and Minnesota trade, in which Garza and Young were the centerpieces. I agree that it may have been the most significant trade of the past year. I guess what spoke to me most what that for the Rays it was in a way addition by subtraction (with the loss of Delmon Young promoting harmony within the clubhouse). Young was one of the most highly touted young offensive players in the league and although Garza had a great deal of potential, I believed the Twins might be getting the better of Tampa Bay in this trade. This is probably also due to an inability to predict Jason Bartlett's impact on the club.

I did wonder about the Detroit and Florida trade however. While I agree that Detroit seemed to be a winner before the trade, I still feel that they got the better of this trade post 2008. It is true that Willis was a disappointment at best but Cabrera (pictured below) ended up having a decently strong season. I just wonder if the Tigers' collapse (after being favorites to head to the World Series preseason) played a large role in assuming this trade was a loss for Detroit. Florida did not seem to get a great deal of production from any pieces of this trade apart from a few late season hits by Maybin. If Willis manages to have a respectable season (10 to 13 wins) and Cabrera performs as we all expect, I do not expect Florida's young haul to have a bigger impact on the team's overall performance in the 2009 season. What are your thoughts on that?

On a more personal note, do you see the Santana trade as a bit of payback to Mets fans after the Kazmir-Zambrano fiasco? Even after two monumental late season failures, I have to believe the Mets have the talent to get there and win it all in 2009 with a few key additions. I maintain a blog about baseball and would love some feedback from a pro.

This is the link: andrewotoshi.blogspot.com

If you could spare any time it could be greatly appreciated.