Sports agent Scott Boras is in the midst of negotiations with Major League Baseball teams on behalf of his clients during the offseason as the holidays approach. The Boras Corporation represents some of the most highly-coveted free agents on the market, including outfielder Cody Bellinger, infielder Rhys Hoskins, and starting pitcher Blake Snell. These players and several others are expected to command multi-million dollar contracts this offseason as teams look to fill open roster spots with the hope of building toward a World Series championship.
Boras made an appearance on Inside the Clubhouse on 670 The Score with Bruce Levine and Mike Esposito, something that indicated to morning co-host David Haugh was an inherent negotiation tactic. Nonetheless, having him appear on the air represented a signature guest for the show and someone who has had a considerable impact on the free-agent market in recent offseasons.
“Great job by Bruce getting Scott Boras on the station; tremendous get,” Haugh said Monday morning on 670 The Score. “What I heard was Scott Boras’ voice, which was enough to tell me things aren’t going well. The only reason Scott Boras is appearing on a Chicago radio station is to let the fanbase know that it’s not going very well and that the Cubs have to ante up.”
Haugh seemed to affirm that Boras was utilizing the media appearance as a negotiation tactic, trying to promulgate that the Cubs are not willingly doing business with him and his company. As a result, Haugh presumed that he hoped to alert the fanbase as to what was going on in order to elicit adverse reactions toward the team’s modus operandi.
In listening back to the appearance, Haugh conveyed that Levine asked Boras all of the right questions and received alarming answers. Players specifically discussed during the interview included Bellinger and Hoskins, both of whom experts have speculated could sign deals to play for the Cubs next season.
“I don’t think that, as we sit here on Dec. 18, you can say the Cubs are probably close to signing either guy, and that’s trouble for a team that started this offseason so strongly and aggressively and created so much hope,” Haugh said. “Now they’ve got to come through because they’ve built those expectations.”
Boras typically speaks to media members at the annual General Manager Meetings and Winter Meetings, usually mixing in analogies and creative displays of imagery to communicate the value his clients bring to teams. Additionally, he has made appearances across various podcasts and media programs over the last several months to talk about the free-agent frenzy that is taking place around the major leagues.
