Scott Boras Rumors
By Mike Axisa [November 17, 2009 at 3:32pm CST]
Two sources have confirmed that free agent reliever Mike Gonzalez is now represented by Scott Boras, according to Mark Bowman of MLB.com. Gonzalez had previously been represented by Dan Lozano of The Beverly Hills Sports Council. Bowman says that the switch shouldn't have much of an effect on whether the Braves try to retain the southpaw. The 31-year-old Gonzalez is now over two years removed from Tommy John surgery, and posted a 2.42 ERA in 80 relief appearances this season.
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By Tim Dierkes [November 11, 2009 at 3:24pm CST]
Cardinals GM John Mozeliak expressed interest in Xavier Nady and other Scott Boras clients, according to Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Presumably Nady would be a low-rent option for left field. Of course, that's not the lead of Strauss' article - the focus is Matt Holliday and the Cards' attempt to sign him. Mozeliak met with Boras for an hour Tuesday, but did not make an offer for Holliday. Boras then spoke to the media, disputing the notion that the Cardinals are a mid-market team: "I don't know what a mid-market franchise is. That's like a midsize aircraft...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 11, 2009 at 2:38pm CST]
SI's Jon Heyman reports from Chicago, where the GM Meetings are wrapping up... The Phillies are "intent on pursuing Chone Figgins hard," while the Mets are also fans of the Seth Levinson client. The Angels still hope to re-sign Figgins. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has more on the Mets' interest, explaining that moving Luis Castillo would make signing Figgins easier. Sherman thought another reasonable addition for the Mets might be Carlos Lee, but his idea was shot down by Ed Wade and a Mets official. Heyman senses mixed signals with the Mets and Matt Holliday - Omar...
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By Tim Dierkes [November 6, 2009 at 10:55am CST]
Here's a new addition to our Scott Boras clients list - Hank Blalock. MLB.com's T.R. Sullivan informed us that Blalock switched to Boras before the season. Blalock, 29 later this month, hit .234/.277/.459 this year in 495 plate appearances. He played 567 innings at first base and spent the rest of the time at DH. It was Blalock's healthiest season since '06, and he showed decent power, but his OBP was the third-worst in baseball among those with 450 PAs.
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By Tim Dierkes [October 19, 2009 at 3:14pm CST]
Scott Boras believes Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday are both "blue-collar superstars," learned Bill Shaikin of the L.A. Times. Boras considers both to be "complete players," and finds Holliday unique in the upcoming free agent class. Boras' comments imply that Holliday's advantage over Jason Bay is his defense. No matter how well Boras pitches Holliday, it seems highly unlikely the outfielder will sniff the eight-year, $180MM deal Tex received. Speculation so far has focused on the typical big-market clubs, but here in October it's too early to say which teams will make legitimate, $100MM+ bids. It's always fun to read...
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By Steve Adams [October 18, 2009 at 2:54pm CST]
Apparently Sunday afternoons in October are a slow time for baseball news. Who knew? Here's some links to tide you over for now... Viva El Birdos takes a look at the 2010 rotation options for the Cardinals, both internal and external. Could Kyle McClellan or Blake Hawksworth succeed in the rotation? Roch Kubatko isn't sure that the Orioles are in the market for a left-handed reliever at all, though he does mention that they're expected to re-sign Mark Hendrickson. Brian McTaggart from MLB.com held a Q&A session with Astros managerial candidate Phil Garner. Garner managed the Astros from 2004-2007. Adam...
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By Tim Dierkes [October 6, 2009 at 10:41am CST]
Back in 2007, Scott Boras "advised" recent high school graduate Rick Porcello to take a $7MM Major League contract, tying Josh Beckett's record for the biggest guarantee given to a high school player. Two years later, at age 20, Porcello will start today's crucial one-game playoff against the Twins. During that time, according to ESPN's Buster Olney, Porcello dropped Boras for agent Alan Hendricks. Porcello's contractual status shouldn't be much of a story until after the 2011 season, when he'll first become eligible for arbitration. As they did with Jeremy Bonderman, the Tigers could attempt to sign Porcello long-term. But...
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By Luke Adams [September 15, 2009 at 5:23pm CST]
A few links for the evening.... Chico Harlan of the Washington Post notes one name that stands out on the Washington Nationals' roster for the Florida Instructional League: Stephen Strasburg. Strasburg is expected to pitch in the Instructional League that runs from Sept. 24 to Oct. 13. Keith Law of ESPN.com reports that LSU righty Anthony Ranaudo has chosen Scott Boras as his adviser for the 2010 draft. Ranaudo projects to be one of the top college pitchers next year and a potential top-five pick in the June draft, assuming Boras' presence doesn't scare teams away. BP's Eric Seidman at...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [August 20, 2009 at 2:56pm CST]
ESPN.com's Jayson Stark shows that a number of contenders have vulnerable-looking closers. The Cubs and Phillies two of many teams with shaky arms at the back of the 'pen. Here are the details and the rest of Stark's rumors: At least one scout believes John Smoltz would have been the perfect arm for the Marlins to add to their 'pen. However, clubs pursuing Smoltz heard that he wanted to start, at least for now. A scout who watched Billy Wagner throw has "no doubt" that Wagner could help a team win. The Rays and Marlins are thought to have interest...
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By Ben Nicholson-Smith [August 19, 2009 at 5:27pm CST]
Scott Boras told 619 Sports that he was never looking to sign Stephen Strasburg to a $50MM deal, despite reports that he was using Daisuke Matsuzaka's contract as a reference point for the number one overall pick. "I can assure you our first offer was well less than half of that," Boras said. Here are some more points Boras makes over the course of the interview: Boras says revenues around baseball have increased in the last decade, so he argues that money should trickle down to players and draft picks. He also suggests that more teams are holding onto their...
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