NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Out in the festively decorated Opryland Hotel lobby there arose such a clatter.
Baseball super agent Scott Boras, his bag full of fresh winter meeting talking points, was causing baseball writers to rush in all around him because he was ready to chatter.
Something would soon become a frustrating matter.
More on that in a moment.
Boras hopped atop his box, so all the cameras could see him better, then got busy.
Bryce Harper, in Boras’ eyes, deserves an extension despite having eight years left on his mega-deal with the Phillies. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery should be viewed much more favorably by front offices than incoming newcomer Yoshinobu Yamamoto; guess which two are Boras’ clients and which one isn’t? Cody Bellinger? Glad you asked. He deserves not just the moon but the stars, too.
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Specific to the Cardinals, an organization he tends to spare from his sharpest elbows due to his fondness for them as a former farmhand, Boras had some somewhat spicy commentary.
He listed his client Tyler O’Neill’s seasons-old accolades and suggested it would be impressive if the Cardinals had better internal options than the injury-prone outfielder they plan to trade, perhaps taking a bit of a shot at the Cardinals’ recent run of players who have thrived elsewhere after departures.
“With the talent evaluation of the Cardinals, it’s nice to know that they have players who reach higher levels, I guess,†Boras quipped.
Boras also zinged the Cardinals some for signing three veteran starting pitchers but passing (at least so far) on his top rotation-boosting clients, National League Cy Young Award winner Snell and Montgomery, who was traded by the Cardinals at the deadline before winning a World Series with the Rangers.
“I think that they are trying to improve their team,†Boras said about the Cardinals, noting Montgomery would entertain the idea of a reunion, though that could be as much about maximizing his value elsewhere as anything else. “Obviously, we think that we have pitchers that are at, certainly, a higher tier. More of a No. 1-type tier. But I would always say that about players who have had (performed at) a very successful rate and had postseason success and all those things like a Montgomery or a Snell.â€
There’s your reminder that Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn are not Boras clients. But mostly, as usual, Boras played nice with his former team.
“I’m a George Kissell pupil, so I always have hope,†he said. “That organization has a lot of tradition and history; I think things will come out all right.â€
What really became a piece of coal in Boras’ stocking on this day was a continued drumbeat of questions about a topic that has been gaining some steam this offseason.
Are more and more teams talking themselves out of significant free-agent spending or trades that take on significant contracts because of the uncertainty regarding the league’s TV rights limbo? Boras’ media session veered toward the topic at least five times. Every time, he punched back, arguing that hand-wringing over present unknowns ignore what he sees as a very lucrative future for MLB owners.
If ever there is someone to speak up for spending now and fretting later, it’s Boras.
“It’s not about the demand for the product,†Boras said. “It’s not about the fact that this is going to generate millions and millions of more dollars for the game, for the league, for owners. It’s really about how to do it. Any caution they (owners) have is, the answer is, ‘I’m not sure I know how to walk to the ATM.’ But the ATM is there, OK?â€
The Cardinals are one of multiple teams waiting to find out how things shake out with its television rightsholder in the era of cable-cutting. Bally ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Midwest’s parent company, Diamond ÁñÁ«ÊÓƵ Group, is slogging through its bankruptcy process. It’s within the realm of possibility that Cardinals games could be dropped from the channel before the end of the 2024 season, filings have revealed. Temporary ways to deliver games to viewers could become a requirement until a new and more permanent arrangement arrives, whether that is a league-negotiated answer or teams sorting out things for themselves.
What shouldn’t be underestimated is the league’s preparation for this looming transition and its technological and production prowess to bridge the gap to something more modernized. What is up for debate, though, is how thrifty owners should or should not be until that new frontier materializes and pays dividends. Boras, who has a clear bias due to his role but is always a nice counter to owner agendas, is sounding alarms.
Short-term uncertainty, he stresses, is not the same as long-term revenue danger. He sees streaming options — Netflix, Amazon, Apple — galore and high demand for live sports and their interest to advertisers. He thinks the league has strength in numbers and will get better results if it works as one power instead of individual teams. Honestly, he sounded like he would love to negotiate an MLB streaming deal. (He does do well for his clients.)
“The not knowing part is the fact you’re talking about: How do I negotiate with something I know is of value?†Boras said. “You’re not talking about: Is something of value? That’s a whole different sphere of knowing that something is a great value, and how do I negotiate with it. Do I do it collectively? Do I do it individually? Figuring that out — what is best for the league and best for individual teams — is going on, and the fact they know they are going to have a market and their media rights are going to increase in value, I think that’s very clear to all of them.â€
Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said Wednesday that his team has not altered its payroll projection since the start of the offseason due to TV uncertainty, but it’s clear a desire for some flexibility was factored into plans from the start. Two of the starters the Cardinals have signed, for example, are on one-year contracts with a team option for a second. “Open for business†remained the Cardinals’ stance as they headed home from a quiet winter meetings. The bullpen has become a clear focus, but doors are not shut elsewhere, they say.
“We understand that we are facing a revenue decrease, but in terms of how we have approached our payroll, how we have approached our roster building, it has not affected us in any way,†Mozeliak said. “Obviously, we were pretty aggressive on the starting front. We still have some funds available if needed, if we want to use them in the free-agent market. It (the TV discussion) is something though that is not being talked a lot about. I’m sort of curious how the offseason plays out, not necessarily just for the St. Louis Cardinals but for the other 29 teams, how it may or may not affect their decision making.â€