According to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, Blake Snell is changing his agent, leaving Apex Sports to join the Boras Corporation, led by Scott Boras. The 2018 Cy Young winner, who had a rough 2019 season, signed a five year, $50 million dollar contract last season. Although he will not be a free agent until 2023, this move could put Snell in line for massive payday if he can regain his Cy Young form. It is more interesting after Snell’s comments about playing for reduced pay during the Covid-19 outbreak.
Free Agency in 2023
After receiving the biggest contract in MLB history before arbitration for a pitcher, Snell will not become a free agent for another four seasons. Snell, who will be 31 in 2023, could be in-line for a contract similar to that of Washington Nationals starting pitcher Stephen Strasburg, seven-years and $245 million, if he can shake off a 2019 campaign where he put up a 4.29 ERA battling injury.
Strasburg, a Boras client, joined a group of elite pitchers represented by Boras including his teammate Max Scherzer, Houston Astros pitcher Gerrit Cole, and Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu. In the 2019 offseason alone, Boras’ clients received contracts adding up to over $1 billion.
Snell’s Comments Regarding Pay
Blake Snell hiring Scott Boras comes off the heels of his comments two weeks ago. He said that he would not play if the MLB went forward with their 50/50 revenue split for the upcoming season. Boras agreed with Snell’s comments when he said, “you don’t privatize the gains and socialize the losses”, in an interview with Joe Benigno and Evan Roberts. Although it may not have directly tied in with Snell’s decision to move on from Apex Sports, the timing of it seems interesting given the proximity to the recent comments. Boras stated that the MLB is not honoring the pro-rated salary agreement with the MLBPA earlier in the year.
At the very least, hiring Boras gives him the representation of one of the most powerful agents in sports.
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