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The August 15th deadline for signing draft picks has created some interesting drama in mid-August that didn't previously exist. With most high draft picks waiting until the 15th to sign, there was a ton of tension as midnight approached last night. One of the most interesting subplots, however, has been how Scott Boras has handled negotiations for his top prospects. A year ago, he represented Mike Moustakas and Matt Wieters, picked second and fifth overall, respectively. After demanding huge signing bonuses for both of them, it was reported the he called the Royals and Orioles after 11:30 PM and mostly gave in to the teams' demands, with Moustakas signing for $4 miilion with the Royals and Wieters getting $6 million from Baltimore. That's certainly a lot of money, but it's not even close to what Boras had reportedly been asking for.
A similar scenario played itself out last night with second overall pick Pedro Alvarez (picked by the Pirates) and third pick Eric Hosmer (again, the Royals). After reportedly asking the Pirates for an eight-figure signing bonus for Alvarez and a major league contract and a similarly huge bonus and big-league signing contract for Hosmer, both players signed for $6 million bonuses and minor league deals within minutes of the midnight deadline.
So what's the deal? Two years, four demands that Boras has seemingly caved on. Is the superagent losing his touch?
It's a fair question, but there's a lot more to consider than pure dollar values when it comes to signings like this. How many 18 or 21-year-old players are going to turn down $6 million for the slight possibility of making $8 million a year later? Especially when their father drives a cab through New York to support his family like Alvarez's dad does? In the end, Boras is only an advisor for his clients. If they want to sign, his hands are tied.
Another aspect that people forget to take into account is free agency. By signing in 2008, it's entirely likely that Alvarez and Hosmer will be in the major leagues a year earlier and on the free agent market a year earlier. The difference between a 29-year-old free agent and a 30-year-old free agent is a big one, especially if the player is an elite player, and it's worth more than the couple million dollars extra that Boras may have been asking for from the Pirates, Royals, or Orioles.
Still, with the highly publicized A-Rod fallout, several other high-profile players firing Boras, and his inability to secure giant signing bonuses in the draft, it seems like the name of the agent just isn't striking fear into teams the way that it used to. Maybe that's intentional on his part, or maybe teams are finally figuring out how to deal with him .
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