Scott Boras Still Playing Games with Brian Cashman and Yankees

Last week word got out that there was a supposed deadline the Yankees had given Johnny Damon to accept a low-ball offer which general manager Brian Cashman denied.

When speaking with a reporter to deny the claim Cashman laid this gem on us: “When you get on the phone with agents, they tell you one thing, and certain agents can’t honestly believe what they’re trying to convey,” Cashman said. “Do they think I’m stupid?”

It was his way of calling out Damon’s agent Scott Boras as Cashman felt he was setting up unrealistic expectations for Damon. Apparently Boras hasn’t stopped saying stupid things and believing them, or at least expecting Cashman to believe them.

According to Joel Sherman of the NY Post, Boras gave the Yankees a last second chance to sign Xavier Nady before he dotted the line on his Cubs contract.

Sherman’s tweet: “Last offer by Nady/Boras to Yankees was $5M, signed with Cubs at $3.3M. Yanks would have at least considered at those dollars”

I believe Sherman is right. If Boras had been honest with the Yankees and told them what the Cubs were set to give to Nady, the Yankees might have at least considered making an offer.

Instead Boras told Cashman that he wanted $5 million, or $1.7 million more than the next highest offer, for Nady and Cashman. Not being stupid, he realized that was an exaggerated offer, and didn’t give it a second thought.

The sad part is, these games are not helping anyone. Cashman isn’t stupid; he’s proving this offseason that he can be rather smart and thrifty even with huge amounts of cash. When Boras lies to him, he’s hurting the Yankees because they’re not going to pay more than other teams are paying and in the end that might have kept them from signing Nady.

It’s hurting Nady because by not involving the Yankees in a fair chance to bid for his services it removes New York from his options. It could also be hurting his wallet as the Yankees potentially could have bid slightly higher than the amount the Cubs eventually paid.

It’s also hurting Boras because if Nady earns less then Boras takes less of a commission. It’s also hurting Boras because he doesn’t always have the best reputation and over the years the Yankees have been one of the few teams that have never had a problem dealing with him, except in the case of Alex Rodriguez’s last contract.

If their relationship is damaged by this entire process, and I can’t help but feel like that’s what’s happening, it could cost Boras on future deals by not having the Yankees involved.

One person it might be helping though is Damon, but not that much. With Nady off the table, the Yankees have one less outfielder to turn to as an option besides Damon. But it doesn’t help him that much because the Cubs were rumored to be interested in Reed Johnson, in whom the Yankees are also interested. With Nady in Chicago, Johnson has one less suitor. So really, this is helping nobody except maybe Johnson.

Related Stories

• Jan. 23, 2010—Cashman: Do They Think I’m Stupid? (5)
• Jan. 20, 2010—Cashman Denies He’s Waiting For Damon (0)
• Dec. 1, 2009—Yanks Make Right Call in Arbitration Offers (2)
• Nov. 8, 2009—Yankees Have 7 Free Agents (0)