Just a slightly offensive generalization on your part… plenty of guys from similar backgrounds have waited till FA to get paid. And Bregman did take the extension as well. Not sure where this is heading.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/spor...regman-scott-boras-corbin-burnes/77725450007/ While Alonso may be willing to accept a short-term deal with the ability to opt out after the 2025 season, Bregman is not going down that path. He has no desire to accept a short-term contract, and remains engaged with several teams like the Toronto Blue Jays, Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox. “Bregman’s a championship player, teams know it,’’ Boras said. “It’s really a matter of his decision-making and theirs, about how you can close up that gap. There’s substantial interest (in long-term) deals.’’ The qualifying offer attached to Bregman and Alonso is certainly having an adverse effect, Boras said, but he also points out that teams haven’t spent this winter as they have in the past. “You’re seeing so many teams that are actually not spending,’’ Boras said. “They’re making more, but they’re not spending. They’re spending far less than they did two, three years ago. There’s a quadrant as many as 10 to 12 teams that are in that position. … “The graduation of being an owner has a different definition that it did 10, 15 years ago, ironically because of the appreciation of the franchise value.’’
translation is simple… Bora is struggling to get teams to buy into his outdated approach. Boras is now blaming everything from the qualifying offer to a supposed decline in team spending. But let’s be real… teams aren’t “spending far less.” They’re just spending smarter. His claim about ownership “graduating” feels like a thinly veiled jab at the reality he can no longer manipulate the system as he once did.
Lmao Boras feeling that heat, Bregman and Alonso should just fire his ass and hire another agent. A team signing a player doesn't mean sht about other teams ability or willingness to sign other FAs.
Boras may have overplayed his hand, but if this tweet is accurate, he's not wrong about the spending: That's a ton of money being cut from payrolls so far.
Don't see anything wrong with it. If teams don't want to spend, then that's on the agent to take that into consideration when looking for his client's next deal. He can just wait for the QOs to expire if he wants to blame that...didn't seem to stop teams like the Astros in signing players with QOs attached.
they’re optimizing their resources, rethinking their strategies, focusing on efficient roster construction rather than handing out the massive, long-term contracts Boras is famous for negotiating. The payroll drops reflect teams adapting to an environment where overpaying for aging stars doesn’t lead to sustained success.
Yep, the Astros did exactly that. During their rebuild (2011–2013), they slashed payroll to $26M by 2013, the lowest in MLB, and focused on stockpiling young talent through top draft picks (Correa, Bregman, Springer). They endured 100+ loss seasons but used analytics and player development to build a sustainable core, leading to their 2017 World Series win. Classic tank/rebuild strategy. It’s a smart move by teams. Entering a bidding war for an aging player isn’t going to reverse the decline that comes with age… especially as players reach their mid-to-late 30s. This isn’t the steroid era, when performance enhancements often prolonged players peak years well into their 30s. Today, teams rely on analytics and a better understanding of aging curves, which consistently show that most players decline as they approach 35, making long-term, high-cost contracts a significant risk. 156 million for 6 years was a heck of a contract for Bregman. it rewarded past performance with the expectation of sustained productivity over the deal’s duration.
Alex Bregman season Totals (2022–2024) First Half: • Batting Average (AVG): .250 • On-Base Percentage (OBP): .337 • Slugging Percentage (SLG): .402 • On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS): .740 • Home Runs (HR): 11 • Walks (BB): 50 • Strikeouts (SO): 53.7 • Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (SO/BB): 1.07 Second Half: • Batting Average (AVG): .281 • On-Base Percentage (OBP): .364 • Slugging Percentage (SLG): .514 • On-Base Plus Slugging (OPS): .842 • Home Runs (HR): 10.7 • Walks (BB): 44.7 • Strikeouts (SO): 45.0 • Strikeout-to-Walk Ratio (SO/BB): 1.03
What’s crazy is if Bregman wouldn’t have tried to swing at everything this year to showcase himself and just take the walks given, he might have gotten closer to the deal he wanted. Walks and OBP baby
Well it was a pleasure to see Bregman play for 8 seasons on the Astros. The grit and tenacity he exhibited was stellar. But he is aging and salary is a finite aspect of building a competitive team. I don’t think anyone believes Bregman is going to outperform this contract, if he can earn it via WAR it will be quite an accomplishment. I think the Astros offered him as much as they did, strictly to save face. Altuve wanted him back, the fans wanted him back, but I think the Astros brass felt they could get relatively good value from someone else for much cheaper. And when Brown said that after Bregman rejected their best offer, which I wonder if in the background the Astros were secretly hoping he’d reject their offer, then they quickly pivoted into swinging the deal with the Cubs. And even then, I think fans had hopes Paredes would step in at 1 base, but I think at that moment the Astros brass knew Bregman was going to need to find a new home. After the signing of Christian Walker, Astros fans finally got the message that Bregman was not coming back. Teams are getting smart, and realizing that they can use analytics to find younger player making less money to fill competitive rosters. Boras like a botfly has had the ability to burrow itself under the skin of teams to bid against themselves, a very parasitic endeavor. I can understand when it’s other teams you are bidding with, but bidding against yourself… ugh…
Here are Isaac Paredes’ first-half stats for 2023 and 2024. If he could put a full season together, he could be a great addition. 2023 First Half: • Games Played: 79 • Plate Appearances: 305 • Batting Average (AVG): .265 • Home Runs (HR): 14 • Runs Batted In (RBI): 46 • Walk Percentage (BB%): 10.8% • On-Base Percentage (OBP): .370 • Slugging Percentage (SLG): .504 • Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+): 146 2024 First Half: • Games Played: 91 • Plate Appearances: 385 • Batting Average (AVG): .261 • Home Runs (HR): 15 • Runs Batted In (RBI): 50 • Walk Percentage (BB%): 11.7% • On-Base Percentage (OBP): .364 • Slugging Percentage (SLG): .459 • Weighted Runs Created Plus (wRC+): 139 These stats indicate consistent offe
I don't think that is right. No way the Athletics aren't spending more than a season ago (Looked it up, they are up $13M right now). Last year 40-man salaries were $5.1B. That was up about 25% from 2021. I'm guessing that chart is either outdated or doesn't include projected arbitration/minimum salaries for players who haven't reached FA. Cot's Projected 2025 40-man rosters: $4.85B. Bregman signs and they are basically at 2024's level and then there are still numerous other FAs.
Boras and Bregman obviously overplayed the hand, but sometimes pocket aces lose. Not to say Alex is pocket aces, but he's at least AQ suited or pocket jacks. Based on FA market the past 10 years, there was no way to expect a 31 with Alex's resume could not get 7 yrs @ $25M+ at a minimum. The market has changed faster than Boras' spreadsheets have.
