Agent Scott Boras could go over Dave Dombrowski’s head to speak directly to Boston Red Sox ownership about a deal for his client, J.D. Martinez.
The Boston Red Sox have an offer on the table for free agent J.D. Martinez. While the exact amount hasn’t been revealed, it was reportedly a five-year deal. Naturally, his agent is holding out for a longer contract for his 30-year old client.
President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski seems to be holding firm on his stance that he won’t go above five years for Martinez, who has a history of injury issues and is best suited for the designated hitter role due to his defensive shortcomings. We have yet to hear of another team willing to go above five years, leaving Dombrowski no incentive to increase his offer. He’s not going to bid against himself.
However, Dombrowski may not have to change his tune in order for Scott Boras to get what he wants. If Dombrowski won’t budge, could the super-agent go over his head by negotiating directly with Red Sox ownership?
That’s what FanRag’s Jon Heyman suggests, citing Dombrowski’s history with Boras clients when he was the general manager of the Detroit Tigers.
"“This could be a repeat of Detroit days for Dave Dombrowski, who wanted to draw the line in deals for Ivan Rodriguez, Magglio Ordonez and Prince Fielder but was unable to when agent Scott Boras went directly to owner Mike Ilitch, who gave in to Boras’ demands,” writes Heyman. “In this case, Boras could deal with Red sox ownership, as Dombrowski has drawn the line at five years for J.D. Martinez.”"
Boras certainly isn’t afraid to circumvent traditional free agent negotiation methods by going straight to the top. However, this situation is far different from the one Dombrowski was in with Detroit. The aging Ilitch was intent on doing whatever it took to bring a championship to Detroit. Sadly, he passed away last year without seeing that dream come to fruition, yet you have to admire the effort he put in using his own money.
Red Sox ownership has a strong desire to win but their approach isn’t the same as Mr. I’s. John Henry and Co. are willing to spend, expecting to dip back into luxury tax territory this year, but they won’t spend recklessly. First and foremost, Henry is a businessman. He’s proven that he’s willing to open his wallet, bankrolling a franchise that perennially has one of the highest payrolls in baseball and overseeing three World Series champions. However, he has his limits and won’t spend for the sake of spending. His vision is to create a system of sustainable success, allowing the Red Sox to compete this year and in the future.
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While Boras was able to talk Ilitich into overpaying for short-term solutions, Henry has to look beyond this year. This makes him less likely to cave into Boras’ demands than Ilitch was.
Back when Larry Lucchino was involved in the Red Sox ownership group he had a habit of meddling in front office affairs. Most notably, the botched negotiations with Jon Lester that eventually led to the departure of the team’s ace had Lucchino’s fingerprints all over it.
Henry has generally been less involved in front office matters, especially since Dombrowski has taken over. While he has the authority to overrule Dombrowski, Henry has thus far trusted the president of baseball operations to do his job.
Next: Has Dombrowski learned from past mistakes?
Even if Boras does approach Henry, the answer he gets is unlikely to be drastically different from the response Dombrowski has given. If Henry desperately wants Martinez then he may be swayed into going a bit higher than the offer already on the table but he’s not signing off on an 8-year, $200 million deal when no other team is offering anywhere near that ballpark.