Agent Scott Boras has added another one of the offseason's most intriguing free agents to his client list. Rafael Soriano hired Boras to represent him, according to Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times.
As Boras recently pointed out to Jon Heyman of SI.com, Soriano is “one of the top closers in the game.” The 30-year-old leads the American League in saves (44) and has a 1.76 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 in 63 appearances. MLBTR's Luke Adams recently pointed out that Soriano has set himself up for a multi-year deal, possibly even a three-year contract.
Boras, who has negotiated massive free agent deals for the likes of Matt Holliday, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez, recently added Jayson Werth to his list of clients. Soriano, Werth, Adrian Beltre and Carlos Pena highlight Boras' free agents this offseason.
The Rays' chances of re-signing Soriano seem slim, but they could obtain two picks in next year's draft if Soriano turns down arbitration and signs elsewhere. Soriano, a projected Type A free agent, could theoretically accept an arb offer, as he did a year ago, but that probably won't concern the Rays. Soriano seems unlikely to accept arbitration and the Rays could trade him if he does, just as Atlanta did last offseason.
Bad news for Tampa.
The Rays have no intentions or resigning him anyways.
Why? They’re a top tier team, they need a strong closer for the 9th innings. They can’t just count on picking up someone for cheap.
Unless is their someone in their system right now their grooming for closer? I can’t remember.
Because they can’t afford him. Was that a real question?
They maybe $30M-$35M committed to next season and a rumored payroll at $65M. They have several rookies to take the places of high paid players leaving. Add to it a bunch of rookies who can take over for other high paid players within the next few years. So yeah, it is a real question.
Their rumored payroll for next season is less than $50MM.
if they were to spend any available money on their free agents it would certainly be on crawford not on a closer
They’ll look into retaining Benoit or possibly using Jake McGee.
This just in: The Rays don’t have the payroll to cover Rafael Soriano for 2011.
Honestly, a lot of people won’t.
Yeah, very few teams can spend 10m+ on a closer, and most of them have those spots filled anyways.
Ray’s will not offer him arbitration for the risk of what happened to the Braves this year. Soriano Will not get a higher annual salary on the open market than he would get through arbitration. The Type A classification hurts relievers more than any other position. In recent memory I can’t recall many Free Agent Closers who have lived up to their multi-year deals. CoCo Cordero comes to mind, but he hasnt been as dominant as his incredible salary would say he should be. The day of minor leaguers being groomed to be big league closers is here, Multi-year free agent deals for over 10 mil per…are over
They’ll offer arb. Boras is taking him to the open market to find a long-term deal.
It’s a risk TB can’t take. Everyone assumed there would be great interest last year…there was none at that cost. I have a hard time believing that TB would be able to sell the fans on letting Crawford walk the same year they gave 10 MIl to a relief arm with injury history.
It is a risk they can, and should, take to obtain a high draft pick. There is no way this guy settles for another 1 year deal after the season he had…especially now that he’s hired Boras (whose services would be rendered useless if Soriano accepted arbitration). He will get a multi-year offer elsewhere at good money.
What is there to sell to the fans?
Crawford is going to approach 90m and around 15m. If Soriano accepts arbitration then he’ll get ~13m for one year.
TB fans know their team is built through the draft, getting 2 top 40 picks is worth the risk of Soriano accepting.
TB can and will take the risk. Boras clients don’t accept arb.
Lets look at i t this way then. Ask yourself this. How many teams are there in Baseball that would give a multi-year 10 + million dollar deal to a closer? Next ask yourself of these teams how many need a closer. You will find the answer is zero. If Soriano can get one year at 12-14 mil per year in arb….he would be a fool not to grab it. I don’t care if Scott Boras or Winnie the Pooh was his agent he isnt geting a mult-year deal at a higher base salary than he would get in arbitration. Which is why I wouldnt offer if I were TB.
Not that I disagree with the fact it’d be senseless of Soriano to decline arbitration, but when’s the last time you saw a Boras client accept arbitration?
Look back at some of my posts, I’ve been saying for weeks I was all but certain Soriano would accept arbitration. I’m pulling a complete about face on that with Boras representing him. It’s just not his MO. He’ll decline and regret it when he signs with the Angels for $5MM in mid-January.
You’re trying to figure out why Tampa would offer him arb and risk paying him. Lets look at this from Rafael’s side. Why wouldn’t you cash in on what is probably going to be you career defining season? The dude is gonna be loaded if he hits the open market.
I ask again….Who will pay him more than he will make in Arbitration. I guess you are saying you would rather have 3 years at 18 Million as opposed to one year at 12? Makes no sense for him to hit the open market where there is nobody who is going to make him “Loaded”
The Angels scenario was interesting but I have a hard time believing that after two years of commiting money to Fuentes and Rodney they are going to do the same yet agian.
I don’t think he’s concerned with 1 year base salary. Like many ballplayers, he wants security. Sure he could get $10 for one year but he would much rather have $24 million over 3 years.
what fans do you speak of?
you guys honestly didnt expect the rays to resign him with or without boras as much as i wanted them to having 2 picks is a nice trade off.tampa does alot more when it comes to drafting which is what they done i hope though he goes somewhere where he is appreciated instead of going for the highest offer he is a good closer and should remain the closer probably the rays mvp outside of price this year
Boras’ act is very tiresome. Every free agent he represents is “the greatest player at their position and on pace to shatter every record.” 1 – that’s not true. 2 – if it were I still wouldn’t care.
I’m guessing you’re a fan of a team that gets snubbed by Boras clients? Boras is a very smart person and knows how to get people a fat pay check.
What you wrote and what he wrote aren’t incongruous.
Yes, Boras is very smart and gets the fat paycheck.
Yes, he misrepresents his clients’ skillsets and his act is tiresome.
Not necessarily. In recent years, he’s proven completely incapable of meeting the best interests of a player who is not both the top prize of the free agent class AND of potential interest to the Red Sox or Yankees.
Exhibit A: Daisuke Matsuzaka. People were expecting Matszuaka to go for much more than he did at the time. His stock was never higher than it was after the posting fee. He still only managed to get a $50 million deal because he couldn’t use his usual “mystery team” tactic. Say what you will about Matsuzaka’s performance since signing, Boras dropped the ball on that negotiation.
Exhibit B: Jason Varitek. Had him decline arbitration assuming he could get Posada money after an awful two or three seasons in a row. Varitek proceeded to remain with the Red Sox on a two year option deal that totalled less than he would’ve gotten in arbitration.
Exhibit C: Johnny Damon. Everyone and their mother knew Damon’s numbers would drop outside of Yankee Stadium, but Boras STILL had him decline arbitration AND turned down a respectable offer from the Yanks. He then remained unsigned until just shy of spring training before the Tigers took a flyer on him on significantly less money than he’d have gotten in arbitration.
Potential Exhibit D: Manny Ramirez. He convinced him to start demanding his option not be exercised. Now, it’s up for debate whether or not Manny’s malcontent behavior on his way out of Boston was of his own volition or at the suggestion of Boras, but either way, Manny had just as much money on the table in Boston as he got in LA and the antics and bluster has put Manny in a tough position going into next season. This one didn’t blow up spectacularly, but he certainly didn’t come out ahead either.
Almost Exhibit E: Adrian Beltre. He had Beltre decline arbitration after a miserable, injury plagued season in Seattle. If Mike Lowell wasn’t injured, Beltre would be playing in Oakland for $24 million over the next three years. The Red Sox manuever was shrewd and well calculated, but it kind of fell into his lap at the last minute. This one came dangerously close to blowing up in his face.
Meanwhile, his positive track record only extends so far as guys like Mark Teixeira and Matt Holliday: Each the top position player of that year’s free agent class and each had the benefit of him being able to cite potential interest of the Red Sox and Yankees (Both players would’ve filled holes for either team in their free agency).
Scott Boras can get elite free agents MAJOR money, but I feel his abilities are grossly exaggerated when accounting for his miss rate compared to his success rate when bearing in mind the quality of free agents he has.
Its not as if scott goes to players with a gun to their head and says i’m your agent or else.
two things
first, he’s an agent. That’s his job. He wouldn’t be a very good player if his sales pitch was: *shrug* “He’s alright.”
second, it’s not really you that he needs to convince.
Every agent is trying to sell their player to be better than they are to get the most money, that’s what they do. He just happens to be really, really good at it.
The Rays will most likely resign Benoit as their closer(for far less..maybe 2 years and 6 bmillion dollars). They will have JP Howell coming back from surgery, will use Jake McGee out of the pen and probably add another set-up type though trade as well, IMO
I think of this as good news for the Rays, bad news for Soriano. With Boras representing him, the Rays are all but assured that Soriano will decline arbitration if offered. Good news for them.
The bads news for Soriano is that he will most certainly not get the same figure on the free agent market as he would through arbirtration while carrying Type A status. There just aren’t enough teams who can
A. Afford to drop eight figures on a reliever,
B. Afford to give up a draft pick to sign him, and
C. Don’t already have at least one high priced reliever.
Really, the only way I can picture him getting as much as he’d get in arbitration is with the Angels, and only if they sign one or more of Jayson Werth, Carl Crawford and Adrian Beltre.
Players need to start learning that unless you’re the premiere bat or starting pitcher on the market, Boras is only going to hurt your chances. He just doesn’t seem capable of accurately reading the market for anyone else. Even then, you’d better hope he’s got the chance of leveraging the needs of the Sox or Yankees to your advantage. Just look at his track record on guys who weren’t the prize offseason piece AND potentially coveted by the Sox or Yankees.
Rays will be cutting payroll, no way they can afford Soriano and they’ll be happy to take the 2 picks. Should be a fair number of established relivers on the market this off season, Twins and Fuentes are in he same boat – he could be abig help in the post season ut next year they have Capps and Nathan under contract. I believe Rausch, Crain and Guerreir are also free agents after this year and there wil be a market for all of them, maybe not as closers but they are all solid and will get nice raises.
I don’t know what to offer Soriano, but as an M’s fan, I’d offer Horacio Ramirez for him.
Bavasi might be the worst GM in the history of baseball.
I don’t know how much money to offer but I’d offer Horacio Ramirez for him.
Bill Bavasi might have been the worst GM in the history of baseball.
looks like the angels are out on Soriano
Why exactly? They’re really the only serious suitor I can think of for him.
If theres only 1 suitor for him, chances are he doesn’t even get half of what he wants or 1/3 of what boras thinks he deserves
I don’t disagree at all. As I stated above, this is an awful manuever for him, in my opinion. That said, I don’t see how it eliminates the Angels as a potential suitor.
seems like the angels do not like to deal with boras at all lately
The Angels may become Tampa Bay West. I would not be surprised to see Bartlett, Shields and Soriano in Anahiem.
i could see Soriano maybe, but Bartlett and Shields? how do u figure
Joaquin Benoit is going to cost a team at least 5MM dollars a year. Is that cheap for Tampa Bay?
It looks like Big Papi mite have been right about Soriano’s five year deal. MAYBE.
These days in baseball, it seems the free market of supply and demand has finally hit the role of DH only players. Defense matters more. Will supply and demand hit the closer role? Or does a closer deserve to make upwards of $6m more than even top relievers?
Soriano’s a contract-year-only good player. Caveat emptor.