HOUSTON — To the question who will win the World Series the Astros or the Nationals, the Nationals or the Astros, the answer is clear — Scott Boras.
Boras represents the most stars in the 115th Fall Classic, including the Astros’ Jose Altuve and the Nationals’ Max Scherzer and Juan Soto. But for the here and now, Boras most importantly reps Washington’s Anthony Rendon and Stephen Strasburg and Houston’s Gerrit Cole — or the likely three biggest free agents in the upcoming market.
Boras will be a dominant figure this offseason, since he also represents potential free agents Nick Castellanos, Dallas Keuchel, J.D. Martinez, Mike Moustakas, Marcell Ozuna and Hyun-jin Ryu. Depending on how you view the market, Boras could have the top four starters — Cole, Strasburg, Ryu and Keuchel — and top two position players — Rendon and Martinez.
Normally, Boras attends the World Series and makes himself available to talk about his upcoming free agent crop. But because two of his elite clients — Scherzer and Cole — were facing each other in Tuesday’s Game 1, he said he would watch alone, pulling for both. Nevertheless, when reached by phone, Boras did expound on the market.
Boras said he believes owners, in particular, have recognized the need notably for elite starting pitching, but also prime-aged stars at any position and anticipates stronger bidding than in recent slowed-down markets.
“Ironically the teams that have been willing to pay for starting pitching are in the World Series,” Boras said. “Clubs are going to look at that and certainly understand that is the formula that gives them the best chance to win a championship.”
Boras emphasized that neither Strasburg nor Martinez has made a firm decision yet on whether to opt out of his contract. But the expectation is that both will. Strasburg has four years at $100 million left on his pact. In 2019, though, he combined durability with excellence with — so far — postseason dominance that would almost certainly net him more than $100 million whether Washington extends the righty or he goes out into free agency.
Cole, almost without question, will top $200 million and possibly be the first $300 million pitcher. Boras likened Cole to Scherzer in age, ability and having “a very, very low pitching odometer” in terms of innings worked before free agency. Boras said he would not publicly state money goals or talk specific teams when asked if he thought the Yankees would be in it. But Boras alluded to the Yankees and others who did not obtain Cole from the Pirates after the 2017 campaign.
“Every team that didn’t get him then looks upon it with regret and the Astros look at it as going down as one of the greatest trades in history,” Boras said. “The decision whether to pursue Cole has a lot of favor because that process already has taken place. A lot of people are going to sit in a room and say, ‘Didn’t we discuss this two years ago?’ How is ownership going to view that process and decision? In the free-agent world, a lot of teams didn’t go after Max Scherzer. The owner who did get a surplus value of $100 million more than he paid and has gotten a World Series.”
As for Rendon, Boras said he is glad the third baseman has reached the World Series because “there was a lack of understanding that he was a superstar player and it has been revealed with certainty [in October] that he is.”
Corbin has no regrets joining Nats
At this time last year, before free agency began, if you knew that Patrick Corbin would be going to a World Series the following October, the strong belief was that it would be with the Yankees.
After all, he was raised a Yankees fan in upstate New York, and the Yankees had him as their No. 1 free-agent target. At Corbin’s request, the Yanks had him in for a visit, but they recognized even at that point that was probably just formality. Because they were hesitant to go beyond a four-year offer while they were being told the lefty had a six-year request on the table.
That turned out to be true. Corbin signed for six years at $140 million to join a powerhouse rotation with Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg. He proved — in Year 1 — to be a positive purchase, going 14-7 with a 3.25 ERA with 238 strikeouts in 202 innings.
“I really tried to enjoy the whole process,” Corbin said. “Having multiple teams show interest in us and being able to go to those cities was really enjoyable. At the end of the day, it came down to a couple of things. I certainly looked at the rotation that [the Nationals] did have and the players who were here.”
Has he ever thought about what might have been with a Yankee team which certainly needed him in 2019?
“I never second-guessed it,” Corbin said. “I did grow up a Yankees fan. But I love every second of being here and have no regrets at all.”
The Nationals’ rotation nearly ended up even stronger than the force it has been in helping get Washington to the World Series. The Nats believe they were the runners-up for Charlie Morton, who signed with the Rays for two years at $20 million. It was understood that after last season Morton would leave Houston and wanted to pitch closer to his Eastern roots. Washington made an offer commensurate to the Rays, but the righty went to Tampa Bay and went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA.
The Nationals’ rotation nearly ended up even stronger than the force it has been in helping get Washington to the World Series. The Nats believe they were the runners-up for Charlie Morton, who signed with the Rays for two years at $20 million. It was understood that after last season Morton would leave Houston and wanted to pitch closer to his Eastern roots. Washington made an offer commensurate to the Rays, but the righty went to Tampa Bay and went 16-6 with a 3.05 ERA.
The Nats did fine in signing Anibal Sanchez for two years at $19 million and claim there are even scenarios in which they would have signed Corbin, Morton and Sanchez to join Scherzer and Strasburg.
Matheny not only option for Royals
Vance Wilson, the one-time Mets catcher, was interviewed Monday and Tuesday for the Royals managerial opening. He has worked in the organization as a minor league manager or major league coach since 2010.
Former Cardinals skipper Mike Matheny, who has served Kansas City as a special adviser for player development the last year, has long been viewed as the strong front-runner to succeed Ned Yost.
But with the recent sale of the team from David Glass to John Sherman, there has been insistence on a wider process than just anointing Matheny, who remains most likely to get the job.
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October 22, 2019 at 06:33PM
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