If Yankees fans are looking for someone to blame for the sudden lack of offseason moves, look no further than Scott Boras.
It’s easy to forget the mega-agent still exists. With Alex Rodriguez retired, we hardly pay attention to who someone’s agent is anymore at all.
And yet, Scott Boras is a name all too familiar within Yankee Stadium’s hallowed halls. His client, Gerrit Cole, is the ace of the pitching staff and has a $324 million contract, and Boras is now trying to get the Yankees to sign another one of his prized pitching clients.
Enter free-agent lefty Carlos Rodon, who has a 2.67 ERA over the last two years. Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports he wants a seven-year deal worth at or about $200 million. Rodon is rumored to prefer signing with the Yankees. Yet, as NJ.com’s Brendan Kuty reported Tuesday, the Twins and Cardinals are still factors.
FWIW, I'm told the Yankees are Carlos Rodon's preferred destination, but that the Twins and the Cardinals are believed to be seriously in play as of this afternoon.
— Brendan Kuty (@BrendanKutyNJ) December 13, 2022
That is, until now. Katie Woo of The Athletic noted Wednesday that St. Louis is “unlikely” to meet Rodon’s price. The Twins, meanwhile, seem more focused on landing shortstop Dansby Swanson. At this rate, it’s practically Yankees or bust for Rodon.
What is Boras waiting for? He knows the Yankees have the best offer on the table. If they didn’t, Rodon would have signed elsewhere already. Per usual, he’s milking a team to their absolute line even as his client’s market dries up in the process.
This is what Scott Boras is doing despite closing some of the following deals this offseason:
- Carlos Correa: 13 years, $350 million from the Giants
- Xander Bogaerts: 11 years, $280 million from the Padres
- Brandon Nimmo: 8 years, $126 million from the Mets
- Masataka Yoshida: 5 years, $90 million from the Red Sox
These four contracts alone add up to $846 million. In the whole offseason, Boras has closed over $1 billion worth of deals. What does he accomplish by nickel-and-diming the Yankees with Rodon? An extra $1 million to renovate his poolhouse?
We’ve covered Carlos Rodon and his fit with the Yankees. At this point, Cashman probably has a very fair (and lucrative) five-year offer on the table. Knowing Cashman, there’s likely some sort of option for a sixth year. And knowing Boras, he’s probably leveraging St. Louis, Minnesota, and others for one reason.
He wants that guaranteed sixth year for Rodon.
But here’s the problem, and even Scott Boras knows it. Brian Cashman is way too smart to bend that easily. He knows the market better than everyone, even baseball’s most notorious agent.
Cashman knows that at the end of the day, he’s going to get his man. Whether it’s Carlos Rodon or Nathan Eovaldi, he will fill the hole in the Yankees’ rotation.
And given that Eovaldi is an ACES client, Boras would be wise to stop playing chicken on the free agency railroad tracks.
Nobody’s buying his act this time. Not Cashman, not the Yankees, and certainly nobody here at ESNY.
