Jan 5, 2017
Hiring of Boras raises questions about Sanchez’s future with Jays
Players turn to the baseball super-agent because he’s the best in the business at getting them the most money possible, Steve Phillips writes.
Toronto starter Aaron Sanchez is now represented by super-agent Scott Boras, making it highly unlikely that he will be with the Blue Jays beyond the 2020 season.
Players don’t hire Boras to put them in the best school district or to take a hometown discount. They don’t hire him to make a deal with a team that can win. Players hire Boras to get them the most money possible. He’s the best in the business at achieving that goal.
For Blue Jays fans this translates into the reality that Sanchez is more likely to be playing in New York or Boston than Toronto in a few years.
In the short term, there is no major impact from the change in representation for Sanchez. He isn’t arbitration eligible, but when he is in 2018 you can expect he will take the process to the brink of a hearing. Boras likes to squeeze every last dollar out of the system.
Boras doesn’t believe in getting early big paydays for his young guys. Most organizations like to limit the potential negative impact of the arbitration process with their young key players. The way to do that is to sign them to a multi-year deal, which gives the players some financial security while buying out two or three arbitration years and possibly two or three free agent years. Boras tends not to play this game.
If Sanchez continues developing on the path he is on right now, he will likely be worth $25 million to $30 million a season. He will need to stay healthy and keep improving, but it is certainly within the realm of possibility. Boras is licking his chops to get Sanchez to free agency and score the big contract. Heading into the 2021 season, Sanchez will be just 28 and entering the prime of his career. He will be highly coveted in Toronto and will likely be pursued by both Los Angeles teams, both New York teams, the Red Sox, the Cubs and likely several of the infamous Boras “mystery teams.”
When dealing with a young pitcher represented by Boras, it is important to have clear boundaries. In recent years, Boras has inserted himself in middle of the planning, protection, managing and decision making on the usage and workload of his clients. His close interaction with the Washington Nationals while representing Stephen Strasburg empowered him and suggested to him that he is welcome in the process. The Mets weren’t as welcoming regarding Matt Harvey and the Marlins shut the door on Boras regarding Jose Fernandez.
Boras is just looking to protect his big payday for his young studs, but his desire for input and control is often seen as meddling. The organization has the unilateral right to manage their players the way they see fit. Certainly it is done in conjunction with the player, coaching staff, and medical staff. A club manages its players with the intention getting the best production for the most number of games. Every general manager wants to keep his pitchers healthy. When Boras gets involved questioning the process it can create an us-against-them mentality with the player, which isn’t necessary. It is imperative that the Jays maintain strong and direct lines of communication with Sanchez. The communication can’t go through the agent.
When the time comes for Blue Jays management to negotiate with Sanchez, it will be critical to maintain a level of discipline. Boras likes to circumvent the GM and president of teams and get to the owners. In a negotiation, GMs need a bad guy. The owner is that bad guy. It allows you to say no to the agent and maintain the relationship. It’s the owner saying no to more money, not the GM. When Boras gets around the GM and sits with the owner, the owner is exposed. Owners don’t have buffers. It is hard for an owner to say no because he wants to be the hero.
The other tactic that Boras utilizes in a negotiation is to create a market. He throws out an extraordinary value that he believes is appropriate. When he has a big free agent there are the inevitable media reports that he has as many as 10 teams interested in his guy. Boras creates a sense of urgency and demand for his clients. Desperate teams can get caught doing desperate things. Again, discipline is the key. In negotiations, a GM can’t chase the offers Boras says he has from other clubs. You just have to go to the value that you deem appropriate. Don’t get caught negotiating against a ghost.
Mark Shapiro is an experienced executive. By the time Sanchez is a free agent, Ross Atkins will be as well. They will know what to do and how to do it. In the meantime, they will have to further cultivate their relationship with their young ace. They may try to engage in early contract discussions just to test the water, but it is unlikely they will make any headway. Four years is an eternity in baseball, but Sanchez’s free agency will be here before you know it. Enjoy him while you can.
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Spitting Seeds
- Speaking of Boras, he is having a tough time finding suitors for former Orioles’ catcher Matt Wieters. Boras started the Hot Stove season by proclaiming the catcher an impact backstop who is a game changer offensively and defensively. It seems that clubs are basing their own evaluations upon what their scouts saw and what the metrics indicate. The numbers say that where Wieters has some power (17 homers) he was an average offensive player (.243/.302/.409) and that his pitch framing has deteriorated. He did throw out 35 per cent of base stealers last season. Indications are that the Braves and Nats have expressed interest but not nearly to the level Boras expected.
- Jose Bautista still waits to hear the offer to get him to say “I do.” I’m starting to feel bad for him. Everyone is focusing on his negatives and none of his positives. Sure, Bautista’s performance declined last year, but it was still above average offensively. We know Jose needs an antagonist to be at his best, but the way he has been treated this off-season by the critics — I include myself in that group— should give him enough motivation to last a lifetime. He does keep himself in great shape and his added motivation to prove the baseball world wrong is worth an opportunity from some team. The Orioles and Rangers can take their shots at Jose but they participated in the confrontations in the past as well. Baltimore fans may not want Jose, but I don’t think Darren O’Day or Rougned Odor would be all that welcome in Toronto. If not for the draft-pick compensation attached to his signing, Jose would be signed somewhere already to at least a solid one-year deal. His not being signed has nothing to do with personality and everything to do with being extended the qualifying offer. There are a few clubs where his emotional edge would be welcome. So let’s not only look at Jose’s negatives, considering he has delivered a ton of positive moments for quite a few years.
- Former Orioles’ slugger Mark Trumbo made the same mistake Edwin Encarnacion did: He rejected the best offer he heard from his former club. Now the deal is no longer on the table. The only saving grace is that the Orioles haven’t moved as quickly to replace as the Jays did to replace Encarnacion. He may have a soft landing spot back in Baltimore, but it won’t be for the deal originally offered by the Orioles.
- If I were the Jays, I would trade Marcus Stroman to the Colorado Rockies for centre fielder Charlie Blackmon or to the Pittsburgh Pirates for outfielder Andrew McCutchen, and then sign former Cubs’ starter Jason Hammel to replace Stroman in the rotation. I love Stroman, but the offensive impact of the two outfielders will help them win more games. I know that a blockbuster deal like the one above is an extreme longshot. More realistically, the Jays outfield candidates still include Jay Bruce and Curtis Granderson of the Mets, Brett Gardner of the Yankees and free agents Brandon Moss, Michael Saunders and Angel Pagan. If the Jays land two of that group, I like their chances to win the AL East in 2017, even without Blackmon and McCutchen.
Steve Phillips was general manager of the New York Mets from 1997 through 2003, helping lead the club to a National League championship in 2000 and its first World Series appearance since 1986. His analysis appears each week on TSN.ca, TSN Radio and SportsCentre.