Scott Boras Archives

Allow Them To Reintroduce Themselves

Allow them to reintroduce themselves as ROC Nation. Robinson Cano has stunned the baseball world by firing Scott Boras in the middle of extension talks with the Yankees. Boras is the biggest agent in baseball so for Cano to fire him during negotiations is bizarre. As if this wasn’t a strange enough development, soon after ESPNs Buster Olney reported the split, word circulated that Cano had found new representation. Cano signed a deal with hip hop mogul Jay Z.

At first I thought reports had to be wrong but apparently Jay Z has started a new endeavor. He has partnered with CAA talent agency to start his own sports management agency by the name of ROC Nation. Jay Z’s first client is Robinson Cano. When reached for a statement, Boras told members of the New York media that he hadn’t heard from Cano about a split but a tweet from Cano told a different story.

Rumors have been swirling and sources have been speaking. The word is that former Boras clients, Alex Rodriguez and Mark Teixiera had been in Cano’s ear about firing Boras. They allegedly told him that parting ways with Boras could only help his image with the fan base. Rodriguez and Teixiera both have fired Boras in the past, but only after major contract negotiations. Cano is the first major name to ever bounce the super agent before a big pay day.

Another rumor swirling is why Boras was not alerted of this blockbuster deal. The rumor is that the Yankees offered Boras a 6 year deal worth $27.5 million a year and Boras told the Yanks “no way” without consulting with Cano. If that is true, it makes sense why Boras would be the last to know about his termination.

As for Cano’s decision to sign with Jay Z, a lot of thought has gone into that. Sources say the Cano wants to be a name brand both on and off the field. Sweeny Murti from WFan said he was told Cano wants to be like Jeter and sees that only being possible in New York. Cano sees Jay Z as the best way of accomplishing all this. All in all, this move seems to be the first win of the season for the Yankees. The likelihood of Cano staying in pinstripes is much greater now that Boras is out and Hova is in.

Yanks Make Offer But Cano Focused On 2013

Yesterday, the Baseball world learned that the Yankees had made a “significant” offer to Robinson Cano’s agent, Scott Boras. Hal Steinbrenner had eluded to the fact that the Yankees were prepared to make an offer. Then Brian Cashman confirmed to members of the New York media that “a significant offer had been made. The question remains, is it significant enough to get Cano to forgo free agency and pledge his career to the pinstripes?

Scott Boras is notorious for instructing his clients to test the market and use free agency to their advantage. Since Boras usually represents the best of the best, that strategy usually works. Cano said today that he does not want to talk about the Yankees’ offer. He stated “I want to focus on the 2013 season and I don’t want my contract to become a distraction for this team.” Cano has repeatedly let on that Boras is in the driver’s seat of these talks and that he is purely focused on Baseball.

Reputable baseball journalist Jon Heyman took to twitter this morning explaining that in his experience, when a team has to tell the media they made a “significant” offer, a deal is usually not close to done. Sweeny Murti of WCBS thinks that Boras and Cano are just a few days away from calling off talks until after the season. I agree with Sweeny. I think that Cano has all the leverage and no matter what the offer was from the Yankees, it’s only a starting number. Cano is the best second baseman in the league and will command at least 8 years and at least $200 million. Do not fret Yankee fans, I think it’s still more likely that Cano stays in pinstripes but a deal won’t be reached until after the season. If a deal was close, the Yankees wouldn’t have to let their fans know that talks were ongoing. Sit tight. It’s going to get bumpy.