The AP profiles agent Scott Boras, who got the free agent market moving this year:
He opened the winter meetings by striking a $245 million, seven-year deal between World Series MVP Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals. That record contract for pitchers lasted just one day, shattered when Boras got Gerrit Cole a $324 million, nine-year agreement with the New York Yankees. Boras finished the meetings by landing third baseman Anthony Rendon a $245 million, seven-year contract with the Los Angeles Angels.
FoxSports.com
Normally, I think of Boras as an agent who is willing to wait out the teams to get the best deal for his players. This year, he and his players took a good offer when it came along. Did he come to realize that teams no longer want to get in bidding wars? That they were not going to change much from their initial offers? Have Boras and the teams started to reach the same conclusions about the value of players?
It could be that Boras realizes the value of keeping baseball in the press. Big free agent contracts excite fans and sell tickets. I wonder if Boras is simply trying to grow the game again by bringing excitement to the off-season, with the idea that growth now leads to even bigger contracts in the future. I find this change fascinating.
When you recognize the reality of collusion you know there will be no competitive bidding. In recent years those offered simply were not there early as owners adopted a policy of holding back to make players desperate come January. Boras had to wait until late in the offseason to get those same offers. Early signings not unusual for Boras, he jumped on Ellsbury offer by the Yankees in December 2013.
MLB of course is negotiating a new CBA. Many players are upset over the last few years and want to take a hardline. I see this as a tactical change by MLB to cool off tempers and appease the players by offering some top players a decent salary early this year Throwing it at the games most influential player agent may be a strategy to appease Boras as well. That 40 million in commissions is a nice present