An amusing back-and-forth is emerging between agent Scott Boras and ESPN's Buster Olney, with Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel trying to be the objective party while relaying Boras' comments.
The discussion began Monday when Boras expounded to Haudricourt on the virtues of his client, Prince Fielder. Boras drew a comparison to another of his clients, Mark Teixeira, who received an eight-year, $180MM contract before the 2009 season.
The following day, Olney posted a blog with anonymous quotes from multiple baseball executives, including GMs, who were concerned by Fielder's hefty body type on a long-term deal. Olney suggested that even now, Fielder is regarded as "one of the worst first basemen in the majors."
Boras was not able to let Olney's comments slide, and Haudricourt has more from the agent in a new blog post today. Boras cited error totals to defend Fielder's defense, and also railed against the use of unnamed sources. Boras added that he's "tired of pundits broadcasting their forecasts of free agent markets in July," and said that Olney's predictions for many of his clients have ended up being low. It'd be interesting to put numbers behind the claim.
Gotta admire Boras’ persistence, although Olney’s correct.
it would be great to see the numbers behind boras’ clients. they’re not horrible, but they’re not the greatest players like he says they are.
boras is stupid… he was quoted saying that oliver perez still can be a top pitcher if he gets healthy
Borass is the same CLOWN who spouted off about Oliver Perez being a combination of Sandy Koufax and Tom Seaver….. and lets not forget his comparison of Ankiel to Joe DiMaggio, Willie Mays and Duke Snider….. Borass stretches the truth (LIES) more than a guy to his wife at a convention…..
What did you want the agent to say? My client is a chump who is coming off a career year that won’t be repeated?
An agents duty is to promote his clients to maximize their earnings. The CLOWNS are the guys in the front office who buy his sales pitch. He has gotten over on most major league front offices. I hate him when my team negotiates with his clients (Teixeira from 2 years ago) but I marvel at his skill and respect his game. What he accomplished with A-Rod (twice) was nothing short of sheer brilliance. The Rangers and Yankees had no idea what hit them.
The clown isn’t the agent who calls Oliver Perez the new Sandy Koufax. The clown is the GM who believes it and pays accordingly. It’s not the motorcycle’s fault if you don’t know how to ride and don’t wear a helmet.
Ahah. This is great. It’s like a boxing match.
Boras is hardly an idiot. The GMs who overpay for some of his clients, on the other hand …
Also, for error totals: You have to get to the ball to be able to make the error. ;D
No such thing as bad pub
~Scott Boras
Tell that to R. Kelly.
Mel Gibson disagrees
Doesn’t Boras broadcast his “forecasts of free agent markets in July” every year?
Clearly the guy is very good at his job, but I wonder if he even notices the contradiction in statements like that.
Boras is the one who started this whole thing, as it was he who compared a potential Fielder contract Tex’s contract in the first place.
entertaining, though if you read Olney’s post its simply logical and comparing the way Tex helps out the Yanks and Fielder is comparing apples and a porterhouse steak. As Olney writes, the teams pursuing Tex knew that at the very least they’d have an exceptional defensive 1B for the duration of his contract and he could also do damage at the plate. Fielder is a horrific defensive 1B. Who knows how his weight will factor in on his joints breaking down, his knees can’t be too happy carrying that frame. He will be a DH sooner than later.
Boras “railed against the use of unnamed sources”…yet he frequently uses mystery teams? Pot, Kettle, Black.
He’s such a douchebag. Straight up. He’s a liar and a hypocrite and in no way does Fielder compare with Teixeira, his closest comp would be a guy like Hafner, who only got 4/52 in a much more vibrant market than we have now. Fielder will be lucky to get 3+ years at 12 per. He’s a DH plain and simple, and entering a severe decline period. Teams are going to stay away…
While Boras is massively overvaluing Fielder, you’re massively undervaluing him. He’ll get a hell of a lot more than 3+ years at 12 per. Heck, didn’t the Brewers already offer 4 or 5 years at something over $100 million?
“Fielder will be lucky to get 3+ years at 12 per. He’s a DH plain and simple”Umm if Dunn can get almost that, I think Fielder will get a tiny bit more. Maybe 4/60. But I could be wrong
I was coming here to say the same exact thing.
Boras is great agent, but reading any of his quotes is pointless.
Come on now… I’m sorry all, but ME A SOX FAN is siding with Scott on this one. I’m sorry, but Busta bus (lol) has made up too many dramatic lies and too many “anonymous sources” for me to ever take anything he says seriously.
The Ryan Howard/Albert Pujols swap for starters… Come on Buster…
Liar vs. Liar
No matter who wins-we all win, because we get to laugh at the absurdities the two will be spewing out.
I think Boras normally does a better job of expressing the good qualities of his clients — but I think he will find himself in a slippery slope the more he continues on about Olney — especially when he is using the same arguments on his side consistently (as stated above, who uses “unnamed team” more than Boras or starts the Free Agency talk a year and a half before his client will become one).
I don’t give either much credibility in my book…maybe Boras finds someone crazy enough to give Fielder the same money Tex is getting — it isn’t like he’s trying to get three teams to give Fielder $180 Million…he is shooting for just one desperate GM.
Boras is incredible at his job, which sometimes puts him in a not-so-desirable light…but anyone arguing against the job he’s done throughout his history is just railing against the best at what he does (Getting high $$$ for his client)
The main difference between “unnamed sources” and “mystery teams” is the code of ethics that governs reporters. Olney would lose his job and all respect in the industry if he were fabricating these reports – if he were caught that is. There is no such code of ethics in the sports contracting world. The irony of this whole “argument” is that while lashing out at each other it is mutually beneficial. Boras, Fielder, and Olney are in the media even more and that helps all 3 of them.
Boras is as “tired of pundits broadcasting their forecasts of free agent markets in July” as the rest of us are tired of Boras trying to sell their guys a year and a half before they hit the market.
I just wish Fox would have blurred Boras out of the frame last night during the All-Star Game. Seeing that beady-eyed little weasel lurking behind home plate surely must have scared the kids.
The FA market is deader than Big Stein’s corpse (RIP) right now, we are in a recession time, almost a near-depression and Boras is still acting like $100MM contracts are going to happen. They arent. Teams are feeling the struggle just like everyone else. Sorry Scott, you cant make everyone ignore whats going on in the real world. In fact, you are quite evil for trying to get teams to sink money they dont have into players that arent worth it.
Another thing: teams have been burned on the big name FA and everyone is relying on the 6 year cost-controlled guys instead. Its ended a few careers, but its for the best and the scaling back of monetary budgets (Yankees excluded) is only hurting people like Boras. Actually, you can ignore the words “people like” in that last sentence ;)
You said: “In fact, you are quite evil for trying to get teams to sink money they dont have into players that arent worth it.”
How is he evil when he tries to get more money for his client? He represents the player, not the team. If the team buys his pitch, that’s the team’s problem, not Boras’s. Sure, his methods are questionable, but it’s not his fault a GM/owner is too stupid to see through the charade.
I agree with you on your second paragraph though. Teams would prefer to stock their 25 man roster with impact players within their six year window. The problem is, not too many of those guys come around each year, so teams are forced to play the Boras game, unfortunately.
I strongly dislike Boras and his methods; I think he has had a very negative impact on the game for the average fan. But he sure is good at his job. For the life of me, I don’t understand why more GMs don’t call him on his “mystery team” bluffs. Kenny Williams has done that, any other GMs?
Prince Fielder uses Rickie Week’s bat. Enough said. He is such a weakling he has to use smaller bats.
Which is why he hits 40-50 HRs a year right? Because he’s so weak?
Maybe because he doesn’t use his own bat?
*cough*juicer*cough*
That fact that “Boras added that he’s “tired of pundits broadcasting their forecasts of free agent markets in July,” is just comical. Isn’t that exactly what Boras is doing when comparing Fielder to Teixeira?
If Teixeira gains about 200 pounds and loses his defensive abilities then Boras might be on to something here.
Unfortunately then the Yanks would have greatly overpaid the guy even moreso.
I was tired of looking at Boras’ mug standing behind home plate during most of the all star game.
Who is this “Boras” guy?
Boras is an idiot. He says “hes tired of pundits broadcasting their forecasts of free agent markets in July,” yet he is doing the exact same thing by popping off that Fielder is worth Teixeira money. Boras “citing error totals to defend Fielder’s defense” is a ridiculous argument, and one that any GM who he attempts to peddle Fielders services to should see right through. The same weak argument has been used to defend slow, large bodied 1B of the past, including the likes of Mo Vaughn and Prince’s father. They do not have low error totals because they are good defenders. Their error totals are low because their lack of speed and quickness keeps them from getting to balls that other 1B would. A cursory wave of their gloves to balls hit to their right or left that go into the OF for hits that other 1B might reach and commit an error on due to the difficulty of the play, will result in less errors for the large and lumbering first basemen.
Boras hates the use of “unnamed sources,” maybe Owners and GM’s are tired of Boras using the “I have a mystery team bidding on this player” when negotiating a contract.
Advantage:Olney
Isn’t Prince Fielder a Ryan Howard that walks a little more? Seems like Ryan Howard money would be more appropriate than Teixeira money. I think GMs will be more likely to give Prince 5/125 than 8/180.
Fortunately for Fielder and Boras there will be a GM on the hot seat who will convince his owner to approve overpaying for Prince’s services. The Brewers reported offer of 5 years for 100 mill was more than generous in my opinion. As we all know what a player signs for and what he ends up being worth are almost always completely different stories. In my opinion in forecasting Fielder’s production over the next several years I believe the stats will prove he is worth closer to Jason Bay money than Tex or Howard money.
Boras would be one hell of a used car salesman.
how bout comparing prince to his dad through 3200 plate appearances??
CECIL
runs – 429
hits – 723
doubles – 111
hr – 190
rbi – 581
bb – 369
so – 737
ba – .259
obp – .347
slg – .505
ops – .853
PRINCE
runs – 435
hits – 761
doubles – 153
hr – 180
rbi – 492
bb – 406
so – 622
ba – .281
obp – .383
slg – .544
ops – .927
the rate stats look impressive but it basically comes down to a few more walks and about 7 outs turned doubles every year. this is about through cecil’s 93 season. he was serviceable until about ’96, and was out of baseball after ’98
Who cares if Prince is fat if he keeps hitting 35+ home runs with an OBP of .400. Any GM would be crazy to say they don’t want a guy like that. There’s no reason to expect his performance to trail off or that he won’t lose weight if it becomes a problem.
It would be the years that would scare me if I were a GM. Fielder could die of a heart attack in 8 years or less at the rate he’s going now.
His weight IS the reason to believe his performance will trail off and there’s equally no reason to believe he WILL lose weight if it becomes a problem. Once he has the money in his pocket, what is the incentive to do something he hasn’t seemed interested in doing so far?
That said, you’re right that he will hold a high value if he continues to smash baseballs. But not 8/$180MM value. In the current market I’m not even sure his 5/$100MM offer from the Brewers is a reasonable expectation. He’s a good hitter, but not a superstar — he shouldn’t be looking for superstar money.
One of the worst 1B in baseball? Not the best, but CERTAINLY not one of the worst with the lumber he carries.
Anyone who cites number errors as a way to rank a player’s defense knows nothing about baseball and is an idiot.
Anyone who cites number errors as a way to rank a player’s defense knows nothing about baseball and is an idiot.