It’s been an eventful offseason for the Yankees’ various relationships with Scott Boras. First he picked up Robinson Cano as a client – in time for Cano’s first really big payday. Then it was reported that Nick Swisher had switched to Boras, but that turned out not to be true (he actually went with Dan Lozano). And today Mark Teixeira told reporters that he’s dropping the man. From Marc Carig in the Star Ledger:
“Now that the contract is over with, I don’t want to be ‘Scott Boras client,'” he said. “I want to be Mark Teixeira, baseball player, helping this team win championships.”
Teixeira has contemplated a switch for more than a year, even hiring another agency to handle his off-field charitable efforts. Though their business association has ended, Teixeira said Boras will continue to collect his percentage of the first baseman’s salary.
“Scott did a great job getting me my contract,” Teixeira said. “I wanted to be in New York from the beginning, and everything that I’ve asked for has come through so far. And from here on out, there’s no reason to worry about the contract. It’s all about winning championships and helping out the community.”
Given how Alex Rodriguez’s relationship with Boras went, it seems that while Boras is clearly the most effective agent in the game for getting big money contracts, he’s not particularly sensitive to his clients’ other desires.
Now, a ton of baseball players talk about “helping out the community” and then just set up an unspectacular charitable foundation on the side and leave it at that, but the Yankees at the moment have a few players who seem to take it very seriously (most notably Sabathia, Granderson, and Swisher), and maybe Teixeira is really serious about doing a lot in that area. He’s such a carefully bland guy in interviews that’s it’s hard to get a sense of what he’s actually like, or what he really cares about – but I can’t write him off as entirely dull because on the field, he often reacts to opponents like a real red-ass. And it takes some guts to fire Scott Boras, I’d imagine. Anyway, another footnote in the Boras saga – one day, though maybe not til well after he’s retired, there’ll be a fascinating book written about that guy.
Hmm, maybe once these guys grow up a little they don't feel that they need him anymore.
[1] Makes sense, as it only seems that he's around to get them the largest contract possible. After that, what else is there for him to do?
I think being a "Boras Client" also has a bit of a negative connotation these days as well, based on some recent events. I believe some of this separation from Boras is as much about image management as it is about helping out in other endeavors.
Frankly, I have always thought the Yankees lagged far behind the Red Sox when it came to charities. This news makes me stand a little taller as a fan. Remember, the babe was sincere when it came to making appearances for kids. I don't remember the mick doing much, yet alone other players. I am sure someone will bring me up to date.
Then there was also the horribleness of the Dave Winfield fiasco. Did he put what he was supposed to into the foundation? I don't think so, but I cannot remember.
Boras is scum. What does he do for the community? Whose idea was it for A-Rod to upstage the world series?
[0] Alex, if I was a betting man, my money would be on the book about Boras being an autobiography. He's got the ego to do it, and the man knows to make money. A truthful tell-all would rake in the dough. Why let someone else do it?