Scott Boras rubs Xander Bogaerts failure in Red Sox faces at Masataka Yoshida introduction
When Scott Boras arrived at Fenway Park on Thursday afternoon for Masataka Yoshida’s introduction, he looked like the cat that ate the canary.
And why shouldn’t he be bursting with glee?
In 2019, Boras sat at Fenway Park and gritted his teeth while Xander Bogaerts signed a team-friendly contract extension. The super-agent, known for getting his clients the richest, longest contracts in free agency, knew that the Red Sox were getting much more than they were paying for.
Now, he’d finally gotten Bogaerts away from the lowballing billionaires in Boston and into an enormous contract in sunny San Diego. On top of that stunning victory, he’d convinced the Red Sox to pay Masataka Yoshida – a player who’s only played in Japan – $90M over five years, a contract that also required a sizable posting fee to his Nippon team, the Orix Buffaloes. And while he was at Fenway feasting on the buffet, he finalized Carlos Rodón’s agreement with the New York Yankees.
Scott Boras reminded Red Sox of failure with Xander Bogaerts
Boras knew that he’d be asked about Bogaerts on Thursday, and he arrived, ready to twist the knife that’s already so deep in the heart of Red Sox Nation.
Let’s translate some of his answers to the Boston Globe (subscription required).
When asked if he believed the Red Sox miscalculated the market for his client, he explained:
"“I’m not sure it’s about miscalculation as much as it is about choices. You choose to pursue players. [The Red Sox] chose to pursue [Yoshida] at levels that many other teams didn’t have him at. And teams chose to pursue Xander at levels that some teams didn’t have him at. You see that in the industry.”"
Translation: The key word in this Boras answer is “choices.” The Red Sox chose not to seriously pursue Bogaerts, despite claiming he was “the top priority” and “Option A.” Conversely, as he noted, the Sox worked quickly to get a deal done with Yoshida, mere hours after the Buffaloes posted him.
Boras also raved about Bogaerts’ deal and choice of destination:
"“What’s Xander’s goal? Winning. What’s also his goal? He wants his appropriate valuation in the market.We found that on a number of levels for him and chose that. For [the Red Sox], their model had a different modality with it and they moved forward with it.”"
Translation: The Red Sox didn’t value Bogaerts and the Red Sox aren’t trying to win.
Boras also strongly suggested that the Sox were distracted by a possible shortstop down the road:
"“There’s a certain shortstop that they have down in the minor leagues that they want to play here I would imagine. Pretty good ballplayer.”"
Translation: Marcelo Mayer, the 19-year-old who’s played exactly 25 games at High-A, is enough of a priority that the Sox didn’t make a real effort with Bogaerts.
Before losing Bogaerts, Chaim Bloom maintained that having the veteran and the rookie on the same team wouldn’t create a logjam, but rather, that an abundance of talent is a ‘good problem to have.’ But Boras intimated that when it came down to making a choice, the Sox chose Mayer, an unproven teenage prospect, over their two-time World Series champion, five-time Silver Slugger captain.
