6-4-2 — an Angels/Dodgers double play blog

I missed this hilarious ESPN New York story about Scott Boras' reaction to the Mets' historic drop in payroll from $143M last year to a projected $91M this year.

Speaking in generalities about big-market teams, Boras said: "When they are not providing fans with the highest quality of play, and they take an attitude of 'we're going to take on a development role,' knowing that the TV contracts, the market size and such allow them revenues that far exceed many of the clubs that have to pursue those development policies, that impacts the game. The major franchises who are getting the majority of revenues should provide a product, or an attempt at a product, that has the near-highest payrolls commensurate with the markets they are in."

In other words, he's publicly upset that the Wilpons won't be bidding up any of his soon-to-be injured free agents, and is saying as much. While I have no love for the Wilpons and their vile manipulation of team finances (which are scarcely better than what the McCourts subjected the Dodgers to), it's a sort of enemy-of-my-enemy situation with Boras. As the article points out, megabust Oliver Perez was a Boras client (3 years/$36M). Perez is out of baseball at age 29, if such a thing is conceivable — and yet Boras is lecturing the Mets on providing a quality product on the field?

Labels: haha, mets, scott boras

Nick Adenhart's death is surprisingly vivid to me in ways that I would not have expected. We have in-laws here, in addition to everything else that's going on; posting will be accordingly light for a while. In the meantime, Jon Weisman and the Rev have really thoughtful pieces on Nick.

We're going to tonight's game. And I'm gonna be choking up.

Update: Scott Boras:

Labels: angels, meta, scott boras

The Angels won't be involved in any negotiations with Manny Ramirez, apparently, like, ever:

Tony Reagins killed lingering speculation that the Angels still might be interested in Mark Teixeira, saying today that the team has "completely closed the door" on the free-agent slugger who was offered an eight-year, $160-million deal by the Angels.

The general manager then slammed the door on another free agent who has been prominently linked to the Angels: Manny Ramirez, the slugger who led the Dodgers to the National League Championship Series in October.

"Manny will not be an Angel," Reagins said in his first public comments since the Angels pulled their offer to Teixeira on Sunday. "We're going to give our kids an opportunity to play. We signed [outfielder] Juan Rivera to a three-year deal, and we think, given at-bats, he can be productive player.

"With Torii Hunter, Vladimir Guerrero, Gary Matthews Jr., Reggie Willits, our outfield is intact. It will not happen. We are not going to sign Manny Ramirez. End of story."

This may all be posturing, but with this statement it looks a lot like the Angels are poisoning the well with regards to Scott Boras, who has a number of clients he'd like to build bidding wars with. It's harder if the Angels don't coöperate.

Update: Also on MLB.com, which has a far stronger statement:

"Manny Ramirez will not play for the Angels in 2009, or beyond, for that matter," Reagins said.

Labels: angels, ex-dodgers, hot stove, rumors, scott boras

Not surprisingly:

Felipe López is a 28-year-old journeyman second baseman who has a .262 career batting average. Two weeks ago, he quietly signed a one-year, $3.5 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

That deal is noteworthy now because López is the only client of the agent Scott Boras who has signed a free-agent contract this off-season.

Boras, the game’s most prominent agent, is known for being patient in negotiations until the long-term, big-money deals appear. But two months into the off-season, nearly 20 other Boras clients who filed for free agency are still unsigned. That group — which includes Mark Teixeira, Manny Ramírez, Derek Lowe and Oliver Pérez — includes many of the most talented players left on the market.

The combination of Boras’s patience, team executives who are wary of the weakening economy, and the lack of movement in negotiations between Boras and teams for his premier client, Teixeira, has slowed the movement of the others.

It's time to remind everyone else that A-Rod didn't sign his earth-shaking deal with Texas until January 26, 2001. There's plenty of time to go on Teixeira; I've got February 1, 2009 in the pool.

Labels: angels, hot stove, scott boras

The New York Post is reporting that Greg Maddux is "almost certain" to retire, according to his agent, Scott Boras.

"He hasn't made a final decision, but for now it is doubtful he will play (any longer)," Boras said at the GM Meetings. "As it stands now, he is not going to play."

Here's a related story in today's Times about superagent Scott Boras.

Labels: ex-dodgers, retirements, scott boras, transactions

Scott Boras Beats Gary Sheffield In Arbitration

Way back when, Scott Boras represented Gary Sheffield. Shef fired Boras, but not before Boras negotiated a change to his contract that allowed him to become a free agent. Boras just won a $550,000 settlement in arbitration for negotiating that deal; he had hoped to win more for the subsequent deal Sheffield negotiated with the Yankees.

"I shouldn't have ever introduced myself to him. Period. Bad person," Sheffield said then.

Sheffield promised to say a lot of "ugly things" about various topics when the case is resolved.

"It ain't going to be pretty," he said then. "No fine is going to be big enough. No suspension is going to be long enough."

Neither character strikes me as a particularly compelling figure; recall Sheffield's whining after the Dodgers signed Kevin Brown to a blockbuster deal in 1998.

Brewers Extend GM Doug Melvin, Sveum Won't Return

Brewers GM Doug Melvin will get a three-year extension, while Dale Sveum won't return.

"Basically, my heart was ripped out of my chest," he said, adding the odds are against his returning to coach under a new manager.

"The most disappointing part of it all is that I'm no longer going to wear a Brewers uniform," he said. "That hurts more than anything. I loved the Brewers and the organization."

Ah, but baseball's designed to break your heart ...

ESPN, Please Stop With The Sox-Stroking

I was at the gym last night, and one of the TVs was turned on to ESPN (several, actually), and even though I couldn't hear anything, about half the time on SportCenter was devoted to showing the Red Sox, Jonathan Papelbon's pursed, hyperventilating lips, the piling on as though they had just won something besides the right to play today, and the endless deifying camera shots. Look, I understand they know where their money's coming from, but for the love of Mike could they just slow it down? They make me pine for NASCAR, or the NFL, or even the NBA. It's almost like a caged bird looking in the mirror...

OT: "We're Votin' For The N****er"

An unreal story from Pennsylvania.

Labels: brewers, contracts, ex-dodgers, front office, red sox, scott boras

Looks like the Pirates and overall #2 pick Pedro Alvarez have come to an agreement after all. The deal, as reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, calls for a four-year major-league contract worth $6.355M.

But one source indicated that a signed contract between the Pirates and Alvarez likely will quash a related grievance filed by the union against commissioner Bud Selig's office, offering a sign that all concerned have been duly informed of this development.

It's unclear from the article whether Boras was involved in the final round of negotiations.

Labels: draft, pirates, scott boras, scumbags

I first heard about the Pirates placing first round draft pick Pedro Alvarez on the restricted list ($) this morning when I was listening to the Cubs/Pirates game on XM. (Also available via MLB.com, and in truncated form via AP.) The crux of the matter seems to be this: after Alvarez agreed (apparently verbally) to a $6M signing bonus, the contract was returned and approved by MLB after the 11:15 EDT deadline on August 15, according to the first-year player draft rules. There are several matters here for Scott Boras:

• This is not a loophole, though he would like it to appear so. At worst, what would happen is that Alvarez returns in the 2009 draft. Of course, if the deal actually was signed after the deadline, this raises the question, what good is a deadline is if it's not enforced?
• Boras does not want to be seen as being evadable. From the complete statement issued by the Bucs:

  "Regrettably, we are not surprised that Mr. Boras would attempt to raise a meritless legal claim in an effort to compel us to renegotiate Pedro's contract to one more to his liking. We are, however, disappointed that Pedro would allow his agent to pursue this claim on his behalf. Pedro showed tremendous fortitude and independent thinking when he agreed to his contract on August 15.

  Reading between the lines, the Pirates got around Boras, got Alvarez to agree to a deal, and then Boras found a loophole under which he could reopen negotiations. Only that opens the question:
• What is the time limit on the restricted list? If it's indefinite, Boras just got his client a professional death sentence. Edit: apparently it is indefinite.

Much more good commentary at the BTF thread on this subject.

Labels: draft, pirates, scott boras, scumbags