Scott Boras Clients
Scott Boras clients – let's attempt a comprehensive, constantly updated list here at MLBTR (linked to in the sidebar). Here's my initial pass. I'm sure readers will have corrections or omissions. Leave 'em in the comments or contact us with additions.
Updated 4-2-11
Major League
Tony Abreu
Pedro Alvarez
Garret Anderson
Rick Ankiel
Jake Arrieta
Jeff Baker
Carlos Beltran
Adrian Beltre
Hank Blalock
Julio Borbon
Michael Bourn
Willie Bloomquist
Zach Britton
Domonic Brown
Robinson Cano
Bruce Chen
Shin-Soo Choo
Chris Coghlan
Alex Cora
Joe Crede
Johnny Damon
Chris Davis
Jason Donald
J.D. Drew
Stephen Drew
Jacoby Ellsbury
Prince Fielder
Dexter Fowler
Carlos Gomez
Carlos Gonzalez
Mike Gonzalez
Tommy Hanson
Blake Hawksworth
Jeremy Hellickson
Luke Hochevar
Matt Holliday
Edwin Jackson
Andruw Jones
Jair Jurrjens
Ian Kennedy
Gerald Laird
Matt LaPorta
Jeff Larish
Kyle Lohse
Derek Lowe
Ryan Madson
Daisuke Matsuzaka
Kevin Millwood
Zach Miner
Kendry Morales
Xavier Nady
Magglio Ordonez
Micah Owings
Mike Pelfrey
Carlos Pena
Oliver Perez
Manny Ramirez
Anthony Reyes
Ivan Rodriguez
Max Scherzer
Scott Schoeneweis
Bobby Seay
Rafael Soriano
Ryan Spilborghs
Stephen Strasburg
Julian Tavarez
Taylor Teagarden
Jason Varitek
Ron Villone
Jarrod Washburn
Jeff Weaver
Jered Weaver
Jayson Werth
Matt Wieters
Barry Zito
Minor League
Dustin Ackley
Josh Barfield
Seth Blair
Jeremy Bleich
Andrew Brackman
Gary Brown
Christian Colon
Allan Dykstra
Danny Espinosa
Josh Fields
Nick Franklin
Jon Gaston
Grant Green
Tyler Greene
Danny Gutierrez
Mark Hamilton
Craig Hansen
Bryce Harper
Matt Harvey
Gorkys Hernandez
Eric Hosmer
Desmond Jennings
Brandon Laird
Nick Maronde
Mark McCormick
Mike Moustakas
Andy Oliver
James Paxton
Mark Pawelek
Wynn Pelzer
Anthony Ranaudo
Guillermo Quiroz
Mike Rozier
Donavan Tate
Carlos Triunfel
Jacob Turner
Angel Villalona
LeVon Washington
Heyman’s Latest: Sabathia, Hardy, Manny
Let’s take a look at Jon Heyman’s column from yesterday.
- The Yankees will go "all in" for C.C. Sabathia. Heyman sees the Dodgers, Mets, and Giants as other possible suitors.
- Heyman dismisses a rumor of J.J. Hardy, Prince Fielder, and another player for Matt Cain.
- He predicts a "feeding frenzy" for Hardy. I’m with Heyman though, I wouldn’t be quick to trade him this winter.
- Heyman talked to a GM who feels the Mets will go after Boras client Manny Ramirez. If the five-year demand is accurate, the list of suitors will probably shrink significantly.
- Manny quote: "I gotta thank Scott for bringing me to L.A." Hmmm.
Odds and Ends: Patterson, Lowry, Alvarez
Today’s linkage…
- Brewers fans, act quickly to snag free tickets to tonight’s game courtesy of Eric Gagne. Nice gesture.
- Of course Ned Colletti wants to re-sign Manny Ramirez. It’s just a question of dollars and years. Does Manny get the rumored 4/100 he might desire?
- The Jays locked manager Cito Gaston up through 2010.
- Richard Griffin says the Blue Jays will be better for it if they lose A.J. Burnett. Meanwhile, River Ave. Blues is open to the idea of the Yankees signing him.
- No, Corey Patterson is not dating Dusty Baker’s daughter. And Baker says he wasn’t behind the signing, either.
- The Reds might not be in the market for a catcher this winter, if they go with Ryan Hanigan as the starter in ’09.
- The Mariners officially founded the 100/100 club.
- Peter Abraham sees the Yankees going with Brett Gardner as the center fielder in 2009. Peter Gammons is "convinced he is going to be an everyday center fielder."
- Sam Mellinger discusses a way to drastically shake up the Royals: trade both Zack Greinke and Joakim Soria for loads of young, cheap players. As he notes, the strategy could work out but might cause a fan revolt.
- Andrew Baggarly wonders if Noah Lowry‘s injury problems could prevent a Matt Cain trade. Also, Baggarly sees a non-tender in Kevin Correia‘s future.
- Frank Coonelly suggested Pedro Alvarez‘s new deal is comparable in value to the original. Scott Boras then jumped on the conference call to say it was a favorable change, and much different from the original. Additionally, Coonelly contacted Baseball America’s Jim Callis to dispute the idea of a premeditated plan to negotiate with Alvarez after the deadline.
- The Marlins will focus on improving their defense this winter.
Pedro Alvarez Details
Jim Callis of Baseball America and Dejan Kovacevic of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette have all kinds of details on the Pedro Alvarez situation.
- After Bud Selig testified on the first day of the hearing, Scott Boras and the Pirates got in touch (it’s not known who broke the ice). The Pirates renegotiation doesn’t look great for president Frank Coonelly, who was publicly against the idea.
- Callis implies that MLB and the Pirates may have made a calculated move by finishing the Alvarez deal after the deadline. Maybe Boras and Alvarez aren’t the villains here, after all. Unlike the Julio Borbon signing in ’07, the Pirates didn’t contact the players union for approval of the extension. Hopefully Alvarez is given a fair shake by baseball fans.
- Callis considers the new deal an improvement for Alvarez and Boras, despite the present-day value of $5.67MM. The Pirates save face with the lower number, but ultimately it looks like Boras and Alvarez won this battle.
Odds and Ends: Sabathia, Pavano, Penny, Burnett
Random links to start the morning…
- Ben Shpigel says Billy Wagner‘s $10.5MM for ’09 is not covered by insurance, making the Mets unlikely suitors for K-Rod (hat tip to MetsBlog).
- The Padres claimed knuckleballer Charlie Haeger. You have to like the move; he’s only 24.
- Ken Davidoff writes about Nationals pitcher Tim Redding, who dreams about returning to the Yankees one day.
- Davidoff also says that contrary to popular belief, C.C. Sabathia did not buy a home in Southern California.
- In another post, Davidoff lists the worst trades of ’08.
- Nats GM Jim Bowden will probably bring in a veteran first baseman next year due to health concerns with Nick Johnson and Dmitri Young.
- Not much cooking on the Pedro Alvarez front…Bud Selig testified yesterday, and the next part of the hearing isn’t until September 23rd.
- Andrew Baggarly explains Bengie Molina‘s contentious relationship with the Giants.
- From Saturday: Carl Pavano‘s side of the story. Can Pavano be a useful pitcher next year?
- Larry Borowsky would like to see the Cardinals enterain an extension for Todd Wellemeyer. He’s eligible for free agency after the ’09 season.
- Joel Sherman isn’t sure the Yankees will invite Andy Pettitte back next year.
- Brad Penny says he pitched through a shoulder injury because of uncertainty around his ’09 option.
- Interesting fact…A.J. Burnett is second in MLB with 3286 pitches thrown (Sabathia jumped into the lead last night). Many of the ’07 leaders in pitches thrown came down with injuries this year.
- Michael O’Keefe sits down with agent Scott Boras.
- ESPN’s Buster Olney notes that the Blue Jays will pursue a shortstop this winter.
- All you ever wanted to know about Dr. James Andrews.
- Jed Hoyer explains where Curt Schilling learned his negotiating tactics.
Odds and Ends: Pujols, Isringhausen, K-Rod
I am going to toss up some links as I come across them, so check back on this post.
- ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick has an excellent piece on the Pedro Alvarez situation, including quotes from Scott Boras and Max Scherzer. The grievance will be heard tomorrow, but the entire process could take months.
- The big news of the day is not hot stove related. Albert Pujols is considering offseason Tommy John surgery, which would require seven to nine months of recovery time. It could cause him to miss April of ’09. UPDATE: Ken Rosenthal’s sources say Pujols does not intend to have the surgery this offseason.
- In the same article, reliever Jason Isringhausen says he hopes to be ready for spring training after elbow surgery. He spoke of getting "an incentive-based deal with someone."
- Joel Sherman doesn’t buy into the speculation that the Mets will be aggressive in pursuing Francisco Rodriguez due to Billy Wagner‘s injury. K-Rod has had 61 save opportunities this year, 14 more than anyone else. No other pitcher has reached 60 opps this decade. Rodriguez may pursue a five-year, $75MM deal.
- SI.com’s Tom Verducci looks at the dumbing down of bullpen roles.
- Andrew Baggarly offers a possible explanation for Conor Gillaspie‘s call-up: a "predraft understanding." Gillaspie signed for slot as the 37th overall pick. Adding him to the 40-man roster now is less than ideal.
- RotoWorld’s Matthew Pouliot predicts destinations and contracts for free agent pitchers. His article also includes non-tender candidates.
- Cork Gaines gives a rundown of the Rays’ 2009 commitments.
- This week’s chat has been moved to Wednesday at 2pm CST.
Frank Coonelly MLB.com Chat
Pirates president Frank Coonelly chatted with fans at MLB.com today. Highlights:
- The Pedro Alvarez drama will not prevent the Pirates from drafting a Scott Boras client in the future. Coonelly’s history with Boras was not a factor in the negotiations.
- Coonelly is confident Alvarez will be a Pirate soon, and doesn’t think the contract can be voided. He adds, "under no circumstance could Alvarez be granted free agency."
- The Pirates will not be spending $10MM+ per year on a free agent starting pitcher.
- Coonelly insists the Pirates were not shopping Ian Snell at the trade deadline. Jayson Stark and Jon Heyman said Snell was available, with the Bucs asking for Franklin Morales and two other prospects from the Rockies.
Latest On Pedro Alvarez
Following along with the Pedro Alvarez saga…
- If you missed Cork’s update yesterday, start with that.
- Scott Boras fired back at Frank Coonelly, calling one of Coonelly’s comments "patently absurd." Dejan Kovacevic talked to GM Neal Huntington, who doesn’t expect a ruling until late September or early October.
- Huntington also noted that the Pirates will not renegotiate Alvarez’s deal, if that is somehow allowed.
Week In Review: 8/24 – 8/30
Sunday afternoon is here again… let’s have a look back at some of the moves and rumors since last time:
- The injury-plagued Red Sox acquired Mark Kotsay to help compensate for their injuries. In exchange, the Braves received minor league outfielder Luis Sumoza. Nice acquisition by the Red Sox; Kotsay has been swinging a solid bat this season.
- The Twins acquired Eddie Guardado from Texas in exchange for minor league pitcher Mark Hamburger. Guardado has spent the majority of his career with Minnesota and provides a solid arm to the bullpen. To make room for him, they DFA’d Mike Lamb. Nice move by the Twins, with the added benefit of being able to see "Rangers trade Guardado for Hamburger" in the news. Now that’s a headline!
- The Phillies added a veteran player as well, when they acquired Matt Stairs from Toronto in exchange for minor league lefty Fabio Castro. Stairs should be a decent option off the bench, and he’s still perfectly capable of hitting the ball out of the park.
- Scott Boras continues to find ways to create controversy. He’s now claiming that Pittsburgh’s top pick Pedro Alvarez verbally agreed to his $6MM signing bonus after the midnight deadline, and is trying to demand that the contract be renegotiated for a higher number. The Players Association has filed a grievance on his behalf. Alvarez could wind up back in the 2009 draft pool. Here’s a look at some baseball blogs’ opinions on the matter.
- Minor moves: The Diamondbacks claimed Wil Ledezma off waivers from San Diego, the Braves signed Elmer Dessens to a minor-league contract, and the Astros gave one-year extensions to both Brian Moehler and Darin Erstad.
Baseball Blogs Weigh In: Pedro Alvarez
Let’s take a look at what is being written about the Pedro Alvarez-Scott Boras-Pirates situation in the Blogosphere…
- The Pittsburgh Lumber Co. feels this situation is more about Boras versus MLB than Alvarez versus the Pirates. They feel it is too early for Pirates fans to turn against Alvarez and suggest this will all be forgotten next summer.
- Where have you gone, Andy Van Slyke? wonders if this is not about getting more money for Alvarez. They wonder if Boras has a more sinister motive, to set a precedent for allowing negotiations after the August 15 deadline, in essence making the deadline meaningless.
- Bucs Dugout wonders if the Alvarez situation will cause problems for Rangers’ prospect Julio Borbon.
- Babes Love Baseball says Alvarez is just the latest soul to be claimed by Boras.
- Walk Off Walk normally sides with the players against the owners, but even they think Boras has gone too far this time.
- Pirates beat writer Dejan Kovacevic has details about the grievance, which will focus on Alvarez.
Cork Gaines writes for RaysIndex.com and can be reached here.