Scott Boras Will Look Like a Total Moron if Dallas Keuchel Doesn't Pitch Like a Star
By Scott Rogust
There is perhaps no human being more critical of the way Major League Baseball does business than super-agent Scott Boras. He has been especially critical of MLB teams' lack of desire to win, as he calls it, through their notable offseason stinginess when it comes to the free agent market.
His latest client to endure a long wait? Dallas Keuchel, whose extended offseason came to an end on Thursday night when the Atlanta Braves signed him to reported a one-year deal. Since he won't be playinbg a full season, Keuchel will earn $13 million; no matter how much Boras will twist it, he absolutely needs Keuchel to succeed this season and justify his holdout. If not, Boras will look utterly foolish for convincing his client to wait so long when deals with much more security were on the table.
Guessing Boras’ rationale will be that Keuchel will earn $13M for essentially a half season’s work, then go back on FA market without qualifying offer attached and get the deal he deserves. For that plan to work, Keuchel must excel - no easy task after an eight-month layoff.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 7, 2019
As Ken Rosenthal mentions, Keuchel won't have a qualifying offer attached to him, and will go right back into the free agent pool come November. But if Boras wants to have teams throw a blank check his client's way next offseason like they didn't last time around, Keuchel needs to be dominant on the mound. There's just no other option here. And that comes with a lot of risk.
Keuchel will be free agent after year w/ no qualifying offer and about 21.5M yearly salary (prorated to about $13M, as @tbrown reported). It's admirable betting on oneself. But will be interesting to look back & wonder if he should have considered Padres multiyear bid in March.
— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) June 7, 2019
Keuchel's best year came in 2015, during which he recorded a 2.48 ERA and a 1.02 WHIP on a 20-8 record, which earned him the American League Cy Young Award. The following season, Keuchel struggled, as he posted a 4.55 ERA and a 9-12 record. He wasn't always a model of consistency, surely a reason plenty of teams weren't willing to give him the money he wanted.
‘Trust me, kid, I’m Scott Boras’ just doesn’t have the same ring to it these days.
— Travis Sawchik (@Travis_Sawchik) June 7, 2019
Considering the left-hander has been on the open market for eight months, posting impressive numbers will be challenging. And if Keuchel fails to live up to the expectations, Scott Boras will be just as big a loser as the lefty himself.