Scott Boras, 72, the “super agent,” hasn’t lived up to his reputation. “Grandson of the Wind” Lee Jung-hoo (26, San Francisco Giants) hit the jackpot, but since then, free agents have been signing short-term deals for cheap. Even the biggest free agent infielder, Matt Chapman (31), is going to San Francisco for less than half of what he expected.
U.S. media, including MLB.com, reported on Feb. 2 that Chapman, a free agent client of Boras, agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract with San Francisco. His salary will be $20 million in 2024, $18 million in 2025, and $16 million in 2026, with an option to become a free agent after each season. It’s free-agent bad luck, really.
Chapman, who debuted with the Oakland Athletics in 2017, has been with the Toronto Blue Jays since 2022, spending the last two years with the organization. 바카라사이트 In seven seasons and 868 games, Chapman has a career batting average of .244 (3,138-for-754) with 155 home runs, 426 RBIs, and a .790 OPS. He has the power to average 22 home runs per year and is a four-time Gold Glove and two-time Platinum Glove winner with one of the best third base defenses in the league.
He is rated as a “two-hitter” in free agency,
Along with fellow Boras client Cody Bellinger (Chicago Cubs), with the exception of Shohei Ohtani (Los Angeles Dodgers). The $100 million total seemed to be the base. Major League Baseball Trade Rumors (MLBTR) ranked Chapman as the No. 7 prospect when free agency opened on Nov. 7 last year, projecting a six-year, $150 million deal.
Chapman has already turned down two big-money extensions. After Oakland offered him a 10-year, $150 million extension after the 2019 season, he turned down a four- or five-year, $100 million-plus deal in Toronto and became a free agent. He entered free agency looking for a much bigger deal than that, but was met with a cold reception.
Following Chapman, Bellinger re-signed with the Cubs on May 28 for three years and $80 million ($27.5 million in 2024, $27.5 million in 2025 and $25 million in 2026) with an opt-out after each season. Ranked as the No. 1 free agent hitter, Bellinger was projected by MLBTR to sign a massive 12-year, $264 million deal, but he completely missed the mark, coming in under $100 million.
Appearing at the Bellinger signing press conference the next day,
Boras said, “There are some irregularities in the market right now. There are 11 teams that are spending less than they did a year ago even though baseball is making record revenues,” he said, taking a shot at teams for closing their wallets. But he overlooked the fact that nearly half of the teams had cash flow problems due to the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports Group, the parent company of Valisports, which held the local TV rights to 14 major league teams. Furthermore, Bellinger and Snell are the type of players who have a high upside and a low downside, making them high risk.
Boras is a master of protracted negotiations, but this time, the market was still tight in January and February. In the end, Boras miscalculated, and Chapman, along with Bellinger, signed short-term deals with post-season opt-outs each year, effectively becoming free agents again. Other Boras clients include top free agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but it’s doubtful they’ll get the deals they’re hoping for given the market conditions. Snell, ranked No. 4 on MLBTR’s free agent list, was expected to get seven years and $200 million, and Montgomery, ranked No. 6, six years and $150 million, but the current climate makes that unlikely.
That’s what happens to big-name free agents, not to mention the minor ones.
Ryu Hyun-jin, who Boras said would pitch in the U.S. again this year, received multiple offers but waited and returned to his KBO hometown team, 안전 토토사이트 the Hanwha Eagles. Designated hitter J.D. Martinez also remains unsigned after rejecting San Francisco’s one-year, $14 million offer.
While the Boras free agents have been failing one after another, it would have been a completely uneventful winter if it weren’t for Lee Jung-hoo, who signed a six-year, $113 million deal with San Francisco in mid-December. Lee’s deal could be the only $100 million-plus contract the Boras will sign this winter.