Kuzul

Pitchers and catchers are slated to report to their spring training camps starting on February 11, yet top free agent Michael Bourn has yet to find a home.Agent Scott Boras has said all offseason that he is looking for a contract in the neighborhood of five years and $75 million for the All-Star center fielder. Teams that may have been interested in Bourn, such as the Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies, have already filled their open positions through other free-agent signings or the trade market.The market for Michael Bourn has appeared to dwindle, and the likelihood that he will obtain the contract that Scott Boras is said to be looking for is becoming less and less with each passing day.The Tampa Bay Rays look to be going into the 2013 season with some combination of Desmond Jennings, Matt Joyce, Ben Zobrist, Sam Fuld and Brandon Guyer manning the outfield. With ...

An agent's primary job is to get his client, in this case an MLB player, the most money he can. And one MLB agent in particular stands head and shoulders above the rest—Scott Boras.On Thursday afternoon, in a packed press conference at Comerica Park, the Detroit Tigers officially introduced their newest acquisition, prized free agent first baseman Prince Fielder.Fielder, who with the help of Boras inked a nine-year, $214 million deal in the city his father previously called home, will make $23 million annually for the first two years of the deal and $24 million for the final seven.Before everyone starts decrying how free agents and ridiculous contracts are ruining baseball, let's not forget the simple law of economics—supply vs. demand.With a short supply of top-tier players and a high demand from teams coveting those players, the price remains high. It really is that simple.However, that doesn't change the fact ...

Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder bat on opposite sides of the plate, Fielder’s voluminous frame on the left and Pujols’ chiseled figure to the right. Fielder, 27, was born in Ontario, Calif., and was selected seventh overall in the 2002 MLB amateur draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Pujols, 31, hails from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, and wasn’t bagged in the 1999 draft until the 13th round by the St. Louis Cardinals. They look nothing alike, speak different native dialects and clearly subject themselves to contrasting dietary regimens. On the other hand, both play first base for their respective ball clubs, and share an additional commonality that is to be the focal point of baseball media come the last out of the World Series this fall. The pair will become the two highest sought after free agents in the offseason, and mutually swell from wealthy, to down right filthy rich. Baltimore, ...

If you have been following the Washington Nationals’ offseason, you are aware that the team has now entered Phase Two. If not, here is an explanation of what exactly Phase Two entails by Nats GM Mike Rizzo from Jayson Werth’s introductory press conference: “It kind of exemplifies phase two of the Washington Nationals' process. Phase one was scouting and player development, building the farm system. Now it's the time to go to the second phase and really compete for division titles and championships.” Phase Two started with a bang—a $126 million bang, at that. Unfortunately, it ended with a dud. As shocking and exciting as the Jayson Werth signing was, the Nationals’ front office has to be disappointed with their failure to find a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher, an offseason goal set by Washington’s brain trust. Again and again the Nationals’ targets landed elsewhere, and the team was forced to settle on a trade ...

Manny Ramirez is without a doubt one of the most powerful and productive hitters to ever play the game of baseball.  Manny has a career average of .313 and has hit 555 home runs in his colorful career.  Manny is a 12-time All-Star and has won the Hank Aaron award twice.  He has won two World Series rings with the Boston Red Sox (2004,2007) and was the World Series MVP in 2004.  Despite his hitting success, Manny Ramirez has been a serious cancer to any team that has taken him in.  His immature antics, his laziness, and his lack of passion has irritated every team he has ever played for and has resulted in him switching teams on more than a few occasions.  Manny Ramirez has also been plagued by the accusations surrounding his usage of steroids.  The past couple of years have been a struggle for Manny as he has ...

Well, first off, I haven't seen any of the details of Jayson Werth's brand spanking new $127M deal with the Washington Nationals. And I'm not about to say anything about the demise of baseball after another deal that is likely to be seen as a disaster. In fact, I think there should be some kind of celebration! After all, while most average fans like me rightly consider ourselves much smarter than whatever general manager represents our favorite club, a deal like this only confirms what we already knew. I don't know about you, but that's a GREAT feeling! Werth is going to be taking a lot of heat for this deal. Maybe not right away, but in 2012, when he's hitting .249 with one home run at the All Star break and Stephen Strasburg is 5-7 with a 1.53 ERA after losing his third straight 1-0 decision, there might be some Nats ...

Jayson Werth's free agency and impending contract is one of the hot topics in Philadelphia these days. Recently, Werth's agent Scott Boras (maybe you've heard of him) was on talk radio and had the following to say about his client and his time in Philadelphia: "I think, hitting in the fifth spot in Philadelphia is very difficult. To have the people behind you, certainly [Ryan] Howard and [Chase] Utley enjoyed having Jayson behind them. It’s hard to score a lot of runs. When you’re scoring 100 runs from the fifth spot, you’ve done something pretty unique. "For a guy with great speed and stolen base efficiency—over the last five or six years, it’s one of the best in baseball—you’re talking about a situation for him where he’s performed very, very well offensively and frankly had very good production numbers even though he’s hitting in the fifth hole." So, granted, Boras is just trying to ...

Via Craig Calcaterra of Hardball Talk: On Friday, Jerry Crasnick tweeted that Jayson Werth has parted ways with agent Jeff Borris.  Werth was cagey about it when asked over the weekend, denying that he has left Borris and Beverly Hills Sports council.  That’s likely a matter of semantics, however, because Crasnick’s source says Werth is “shopping” for new representation. I’m hearing the same thing. What else I’m hearing: the front-runner is Scott Boras, with whom Werth is “way down the road,” according to my sources, and it’s looking like he will sign with him. This is bad news for Yankee fans hoping that they sign Werth this off-season. The Yankees do have a history of signing Boras clients, but that was more back in the day when The Boss was in charge. Lately, Brian Cashman and company have not have as much success when dealing with Boras. ...

Alex Rodriguez has left the man who negotiated his 10-year, $275 million contract. Rodriguez is not expected to replace Scott Boras with Pittsburgh attorney Jay Reisinger and Washington lawyer Jim Sharp, who helped him with his legal affairs. Reisinger was the one who negotiated Rodriguez's ordeal with Congress for performance-enhancing drugs. Reisinger also represented Sammy Sosa and Andy Pettitte in their trials. Rodriguez was seen with Guy Oseary, a Hollywood agent, who has been seen with Rodriguez over the past week. When sources called the offices of Oseary, they were only willing to call him a "manager", not an agent. Oseary was referred to A-Rod by Madonna. Boras had been with A-Rod since the start of his career as a high-school student out of Miami. Boras has been responsible for the more than $500 million in contract deals. Rodriguez signed with the Texas Rangers with a $252 million dollar, 10 ...

Nothing to worry about Washington Nationals fans, this will get done, although it may come down to the deadline before it is announced. The posturing that is going on between the overall No. 1 pick in MLB's first year player draft and the team that picked him is simply normal negotiation ploys by both sides. Believe me, the kid will sign when all is said and done. Harper, 17, has until Monday at midnight ET to agree to terms on a contract. But it is not alarming to assume that Harper's adviser, the infamous Scott Boras, will not crack until he is forced to. To give in now would be akin to blasphemy in the high stakes poker world of the business in which Boras deals in. For this isn't just about Harper; it is about Boras' reputation and his credibility with future clients. Here's hoping that cooler heads prevail ...