Scott Boras Does Not Approve of the Astros Plans

We all know that Scott Boras enjoys money, and the more money available, the happier he is. As such, he tends to gravitate towards the way of thinking for larger market teams, since those are the ones that throw large quantities of cash at free agents, regardless of how that contract will look three or four years from now.

Meanwhile, if a team does not have the same financial wherewithal, then Boras just does not have time for that team. Now, the Astros may well be in his sights for teams that he truly disapproves of, as he went off on the concept of tanking during his media session during the GM meetings in Arizona. While his diatribe began with a question regarding the Cubs, Boras, who did not specifically name teams, appeared to describe the Astros, and the Rays before them, to perfection.

Now, Scott Boras, He Who Knows Everything Ever, feels that the draft is broken because it awards the teams with the worst records from the preceding year. He feels that this needs to be changed to a two year snapshot, where the overall record for that time is considered for the draft to avoid his idea of tanking.

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Leave it to Boras to find a problem where one does not exist. How about, instead of trying to “fix” a draft system that is actually designed to help teams that just do not have the talent, something is done in regards to fixing free agency? Maybe, just maybe, if a salary cap and a salary floor were to be instituted, each team would be able to get the talent they need to compete. Even if one year does not go as planned, then parity could mean that one of those teams could win the next year. That should be a way to avoid teams intentionally slashing payroll to Wal-Mart levels.

But, no, that system is not broken at all, right Scott? Why would it be? Money can be thrown around on free agents by those few larger market teams with the same careless abandon of a drunken sailor on shore leave. As long as Scott Boras and his player(s) get their paycheck, who cares about those other teams?

Teams such as the Tampa Bay Rays and the St. Louis Cardinals have been able to remain competitive due to their ability to draft. Of course, it helped the Rays that they were drafting near the beginning of each round for years. For the Astros, who are looking to emulate the Rays and Cardinals model, why shouldn’t they improve through the draft. Oh, that’s right – it’s because Boras does not control the finances there, given draft slotting and a specific financial pool per team.

Scott Boras is correct that certain aspects in baseball need to be fixed. However, the fixes that should be made are not the ones that he would like, since they would impact his pocketbook.