harmony

When Toronto plays in Seattle the Blue Jay fans are louder than the Mariner fans (and may come close to outnumbering the local fans).

I learned of the prank from a post on a Yankee forum (the post identified it as a prank).

PRANK ALERT ... from Dave Dombrowski's Wikipedia page: "In the offseason before the 2018 season, Dombrowski sent star outfielder Jackie Bradley Jr, pitching prospect Brian Johnson and a prospect TBA for Christian Yelich of the Miami Marlins, passing on possible free agent target JD Martinez in order to keep the team younger and save money for the 2018/2019 offseason." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dave_Dombrowski It makes no sense and deserves no weight.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/redsox/2018/01/05/dodgers-floated-idea-jackie-bradley-yasel-puig-trade/mS2zrExiNvaDP4Ke2zIPII/story.html?p1=Team_LeadArticle

Dave Dombrowski and Scott Boras are competent professionals who I suspect will retain mutual respect even if they fail to close a deal this offseason.

I'm nearly eight years older than Bean: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=string001tho

Scott Boras turned 65 years old in November: https://www.baseball-reference.com/register/player.fcgi?id=boras-001sco He's less than three years older than I am ... and a lot richer.

Is that a good thing or a bad thing? The U.S. legal system generally permits contingency fee arrangements in civil cases although England only recently permitted the practice. Proponents would argue the contingency fee discourages an attorney from soaking a client for fees in a meritless case.

I wish I could review the standard player's contract for the services of Scott Boras.

I am 99 percent certain that players do not hire Scott Boras as an attorney. He is hired as an agent. That column fails to make that distinction. Puffery is part of the negotiation process. The media have criticized Scott Boras for his references to a "mystery" team. Please correct me if I am wrong, but while Boras may report that another team is interested I don't think Boras has ever used the term "mystery" team. That is a term coined by the media. That is a shortcoming of the media, not the agent. If Boras has another team or teams interested in a client, it may be unethical for him to publicly identify that team or teams if the clubs have asked that their negotiations be kept confidential. The media may identify interested teams through leaks from the teams instead of through leaks from the agent. Or not. Front offices likely use similar tactics. A general manager may tell an agent that a comparable player is willing to sign a contract that offers more surplus value than the agent's proposed contract for his client. That is an ethical ploy only if the "mystery" player exists. The bottom line is that a front office can refuse to do business with any agent and each player can instruct his agent to refuse to do business with any front office. Boras continues to thrive.

The American Bar Association has promulgated ethical standards for over a century: https://www.americanbar.org/publications/youraba/2016/december-2016/a-brief-history-of-the-development-of-legal-ethics-standards-in-.html The ABA, a voluntary trade organization, cannot enforce the standards but enforcement can come from state or federal judiciaries or bar associations that adopt or amend the ABA standards (or draft their own ethical standards). I suspect Scott Boras offers a prospective client a detailed contract that outlines the respective responsibilities of the agent and the player. I am almost certain that the contract specifically states that the player hires Scott Boras as an agent, not as an attorney. I would not be surprised if the contract has a clause that advises the player to consult an attorney if he need legal advice. Boras maintains an active membership in the State Bar of California: http://members.calbar.ca.gov/fal/Member/Detail/108792 ... but many ethical standards do not extend to his work as an agent (not as an attorney, although the line can be blurred). I am reminded of my real estate agent, an active member of the state bar, who as a realtor could represent multiple clients with inconsistent interests. The Major League Baseball Players Association regulates player agents: http://www.mlbplayers.com/pdf9/4925108.pdf ... including a certification system that authorizes disciplinary action for violations. In the highly competitive field of MLB agency, reports of ethical violations might be more likely to come from a fellow agent than from an MLB front office. Because of his celebrity status, I suspect Scott Boras is the most scrutinized agent in baseball.

That was my point. With regard to Scott Boras, many posters "plant a seed of doubt without any real substance."

On the other hand, perhaps players flock to Scott Boras because he ethically keeps unethical front offices in check. Just because Pedro Martinez was the best at what he did does not mean we should assume Martinez was unethical.

Should Scott Boras grant each team that courtesy?

My point was that one fan's treasure is another fan's trash.

What if he has several offers better than five years and $125 million? Should Scott Boras play those teams off against each other? If Boras has a firm offer from the Red Sox, should Boras email that offer to all teams and ask each team to top it? I don't think negotiations are that specific. Should the Red Sox tell Boras that they'll top any offer from another team? If so, what should Boras do with that information in negotiations with other clubs?

I doubt an agent would communicate all offers to all potential suitors. If the Red Sox make a deadline offer, the agent may respond that he has better offers ... if, objectively or subjectively, he has better offers.

The deadline might be funny if J.D. Martinez already has better offers from other teams.

I recall a writer's label -- "He's a little loudmouth punk" -- in this 2008 ESPN story about Dustin Pedroia http://www.espn.com/espnmag/story?id=3512455

I would add the Padres and Royals to my earlier list of Phillies, White Sox and Brewers as teams that can afford J.D. Martinez. The Red Sox have competition.

I nominate "desperate" as the most overused word of the Hot Stove season.

If Eric Hosmer has a seven-year, $147 million offer from the Kansas City Royals, as reported: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/2018/01/03/eric-hosmer-offered-seven-year-147-million-deal-return-royals/998796001/ ... I suspect J.D. Martinez will get better offers. The loser of the apparent Hosmer bidding contest between the Royals and the Padres may turn their attention to Martinez.

I would think the opt-out would be treated the same as a team option because it is essentially a player option. The AAV for luxury tax purposes should be calculated only on the guaranteed portion of the contract. When an option is exercised -- a team option or a player option -- the AAV should be recalculated only for the period of that option.

J.D. Martinez has a five-year offer from the Red Sox, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today: https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2018/01/02/mlb-hot-stove-free-agents-luxury-tax/995440001/

As Jack Flap graciously provided in a recent post to this thread: https://www.fangraphs.com/library/war/differences-fwar-rwar/