For the first time in years, Scott Boras entered the MLB offseason under a thundercloud of skepticism and criticism.
Last winter, the game’s most infamous and most successful agent had an absolute stinker, at least by his supersonic standards. Boras’ four big free agents in 2023-2024 – Cody Bellinger, Matt Chapman, Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery – all came with deals that were well below expectations. The timing of their signings was also far from ideal. At the start of spring training in mid-February, the entire so-called “Boras Four” remained free agents. That timeline seemed to negatively impact both Snell and Montgomery at the start of the 2024 season.
It was undeniably the worst free choice of the super agent’s successful career. Boras was equally revered and reviled throughout the game and appeared to lose his fastball. Rumors swirled around the industry about whether the 72-year-old could still hack it. Montgomery dropped Boras as his representative and publicly criticized the agent for his handling of the upstart’s disastrous experience on the open market.
One look at Boras’ impressive, star-studded client list for 2024-2025 free agency – Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, Pete Alonso, Blake Snell, Alex Bregman – and the pressure was squarely on the agent to prove he was still the was the best of the game. most influential power broker.
So far this winter, Boras has proven that he is still a force to be reckoned with. January is less than a week old and so far Boras Corp. this offseason, 12 clients already signed have earned a whopping $1.45 billion in combined guaranteed contract money. That accounts for 57% of total league spending so far this winter, according to Jon Becker of FanGraphs.
Of course, more than half of that figure comes from Soto, whose record-breaking, 15-year, $765 million deal was undeniably an absolute moment in the sport. Certainly, the circumstances surrounding the slugger’s free will were uniquely ripe to push the prize into alien stratospheres. And yes, my high school friends and I apparently could have gotten $600 million from Mets owner Steve Cohen for Soto. But there’s no doubt that Boras took advantage of the situation at hand, skillfully pitting the two massive, freewheeling New York franchises against each other, much to his and Soto’s benefit.
Finding a way to implement an opt-out after five years was another masterstroke. Either Soto will hit free agency again after his age-30 season, or the Mets will increase the final total of his earnings above $800 million. Soto clearly wanted an ungodly pile of money, and Boras made sure that happened.
But the way Boras guided Corbin Burnes’ free will was perhaps an even more impressive effort. Burnes, who entered the market as the best pitcher available, garnered interest and hefty offers from predictably eager clubs like Toronto and San Francisco. But the 30-year-old, who lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, expressed a desire to play for the nearby Diamondbacks. The Snakes were not involved in the Burnes sweepstakes until late in the process. Additionally, the Diamondbacks have a poor track record of signing free-agent pitchers for big money, including Montgomery the year before.
That Boras managed to fade that recent history into the background, while securing $210 million from a team without a top salary, and at the same time ensuring that Burnes had an opt-out after year two that allowed him to return to the market his best? That’s what we call good business.
Snell’s contract should also be considered a total success. After failing to find a substantial multi-year deal following a Cy Young season last winter, Snell (and Boras) signed a five-year, $182 million deal with the defending champion Los Angeles Dodgers. It took a year longer than most expected, but the goatee lefty found the long-term home he was looking for.
But while the offseason has been great so far, Boras’ two most intimidating prospects – Pete Alonso and Alex Bregman – remain unsigned.
Boras is likely looking for a figure in the region of $200 million for Bregman, who has expressed a willingness to switch positions depending on team fit. But while that might make him a more attractive addition to a team already in the hot seat, Bregman’s market has been slower to develop. Things hit a speed bump of sorts earlier this month, when the Astros signed first baseman Christian Walker and traded for third baseman Isaac Paredes, effectively ending Bregman’s memorable nine-year run in the Space City.
That move knocked the Astros out of the Bregman sweepstakes, meaning Boras has one less team to play the others. Possible remaining candidates include the Red Sox, Tigers and Mets, but with each passing day, it seems less likely that Bregman will get the seventh year he’s probably hoping for.
Alonso will also probably remain on the market for years. As one of the game’s best first basemen, he is understandably looking for four or five guaranteed seasons. But clubs may be hesitant to make a long-term commitment to a floundering, poorly gloved first baseman over the age of thirty. A return to the Mets still makes the most sense, but how much money Boras can squeeze out of Steve Cohen will tell us a lot about the influence he had on Alonso.
There’s still a chance Bregman or Alonso will stay there too long, like a browning banana on the counter, and end the offseason with a deal that’s below expectations. But while something like this has happened to Bora’s customers in the past, it’s too early to say doom and gloom for the duo. It’s the first week of January; There’s still time left for Boras to come up with another magic trick.
And even if he doesn’t, it’s already been a pretty loud backlash from the game’s most challenging, polarizing and, yes, lucrative player agent.
