ORLANDO, FL — I was excited by the little rhyme Scott Boras muttered under his breath at the Winter Meetings on Tuesday, rhyming among the seven teams preparing to throw money at Cody Bellinger.
It’s corny but cute. I heard that Boras himself wrote these verses.
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His real talent, of course, is making bosses beg. I don’t know if those seven teams are actually pursuing Bellinger. Maybe three or four. Or maybe not.
Regardless, no one is better at playing mind games than Boras.
The Yankees are no stranger to Boras’ tactics, which is why they are preparing for a long and difficult negotiation. The stakes are extremely high, and not just because Bellinger is one of the team’s pillars.
It’s this long-term bargaining that will put the rest of the Yankees’ offseason agenda on hold. That’s Boras’ ultimate goal: to make the Yankees squirm until they finally succumb.
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Here’s the thing: The Yankees aren’t holding it against him.
“Scott is a professional who is extremely skilled at advocating for his clients,” Yankees president Randy Levine said. “I respect his ability and I know he respects our ability.
“We did a lot of deals together.”
Other executives agreed. They say that while Boras was brutal, his methods were aboveboard. Boras happens to be the smartest and most aggressive agent in the game.
“I actually like Scott a lot,” athletics director Billy Beane said. “He has the guts and brains of a thief.”
I asked Bean point-blank if Boras was being honest.
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“The game doesn’t allow me to know if Scott is telling the truth, so my policy is to believe everything he says,” Bean said.
“If he told me he had seven or eight other teams involved (in negotiations), I would believe him. But contrary to what fans think, Scott Boras is not a jerk, he’s never been unprofessional. He’s just a very smart lawyer.”
The Yankees hope their previous success with Boras clients (Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon) will give them the upper hand with Bellinger.
So far, the talks are at a preliminary stage. No significant numbers have been exchanged yet. And no one seemed in a hurry.
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Another executive with a long history with Boras said Yankees fans are wasting their time looking for updates on social media every 15 minutes.
“This thing will last into January,” the executive predicted of the Bellinger talks. “Brass is in no hurry.”
If that’s true, the pressure will be on Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner. He must decide how much money and time to devote to the raffle.
If the Yankees wait too long, they risk missing out on other opportunities to upgrade. The worst that can happen is to turn your nose up at Bellinger, fail to catch up with another quality starter, and leave yourself with essentially the same roster as in 2025.
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The time must be accurate. But even if the Yankees play flawlessly, not everyone in the front office is convinced Boras will lead Bellinger back to the Bronx.
Some executives are convinced this is a lost cause, especially if the Dodgers are a serious bidder. Optimists believe the market will not prosper as Boras expects, especially with a possible shutdown in 2027.
If it’s Gate 1 – Boras takes Bellinger away and I’m told the Yankees don’t want to pay the six-year, $180 million contract – angry fans will single out three villains.
The most obvious target is Steinbrenner because he’s so cheap. But he shouldn’t feel bad. The Dodgers are printing money. Not even Mets owner Steve Cohen can keep up.
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The second villain is Bellinger, and everyone loves him. But that changes if he just gives up the Yankees for more cash. All the goodwill of the bleacher creature disappears faster than you can say Juan Soto.
Ultimately, the blame will fall on Boras for breaking fans’ hearts.
Boras didn’t care.
“I don’t need to be idolized, and I don’t think any agent has ever been liked by the fans,” Boras said in an interview last year.
“My job is to provide my clients with the best contracts, the best professional advice and protection and of course the best financial deal we can achieve.”
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Personally, I wonder how Boras would react if Bellinger decided the max contract was less important than the bond with the Yankees.
That almost happened last year with Soto, who reportedly wanted nothing more than to return to the Bronx. But Cohen outbid Steinbrenner at 11th hour, ending Soto’s one-year tryout with the Yankees.
Boras is not necessarily the culprit. I heard he actually advised his clients to stay put. The consensus is that Soto gave in to family pressure and changed camps.
Bellinger may face a similar dilemma. He is originally from Arizona and still has a home in Phoenix. Choosing the Dodgers meant staying home during spring training. The Bellinger family will be able to sleep in their own bed for two more months.
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This is the human side of negotiations, and it’s something one rarely hears when Boras is involved.
Believe it or not, Boras also has a human side.
“I consider Scott a friend,” Levine said.
“Our kids go to the same elementary school and sit next to each other in class,” Bean said.
“I just met Scott two weeks ago. I’ve always found him funny and self-deprecating. And he loves baseball.”
Yankees die-hards about Bellinger may disagree. But all would be forgiven if Bellinger chose the Bombers.
Boras could earn beer for life in the stands.
You never know.
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