Scott Boras Slams Tanking in MLB as 'Competitive Cancer' After Braves' WS Win

Scott Boras, the most prominent agent for Major League Baseball players, unloaded on teams intentionally tanking to boost their draft standing. 

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Boras said MLB suffers from a "competitive cancer" that helped the Atlanta Braves add several key veteran players for a minimal cost and go on to win the 2021 World Series. 

"This is the Easter Bunny delivering rotten eggs," he added. "Every team says, 'I need to do this because it's my only option, knowing I can't reach a divisional crest, I can't get in the playoffs.'"

Atlanta's outfield was in a state of disarray after Ronald Acuna Jr. tore his ACL during a July 10 game against the Miami Marlins.  

General manager Alex Anthopoulos rebuilt that outfield prior to the July 30 trade deadline with four separate deals. He acquired Joc Pederson from the Chicago Cubs, Eddie Rosario from Cleveland, Jorge Soler from the Kansas City Royals and Adam Duvall from the Marlins. 

In those four deals, the Braves gave up prospects Bryce Ball (to Chicago), Kasey Kalich (to Kansas City) and Alex Jackson (to Miami) and veteran Pablo Sandoval (to Cleveland). 

Ball and Jackson were ranked among Atlanta's top 30 prospects by MLB.com coming into the season, but neither was considered an elite talent. Sandoval was released by Cleveland on the same day the trade was announced, with the team also paying a portion of Rosario's remaining salary. 

The four teams that gave away those players combined to finish 64 games under .500. Cleveland was the only team to finish higher than fourth in its division, but its 80-82 record marked the first time since 2012 it was under .500. 

It's worth noting the Braves were 51-54 and five games out of first place in the NL East before their July 30 game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

There was a lot of discussion last offseason about teams going to extreme lengths to cut payroll, though that trend had been going on for years before the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. 

Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts infamously said in February 2019 the team didn't pursue marquee free agents like Manny Machado and Bryce Harper because "we don't have any more" money to spend. 

The payroll situation looks like a potential dilemma again this offseason for some teams. USA Today's Bob Nightengale cited two MLB executives who believe the Oakland Athletics plan to get their payroll down to $50 million in 2022. 

Per Spotrac, Oakland had a $90.9 million payroll in 2021. 

The four players acquired by the Braves all had an integral role in their ascent to the top of the National League East in the second half of the season and their eventual run to the World Series.

Duvall, Rosario, Soler and Pederson combined to hit 44 homers with Atlanta in the regular season. Rosario was named MVP of the National League Championship Series after hitting .560/.607/1.040 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. 

Soler took home World Series MVP honors with three homers and six RBI against the Houston Astros.