Scott Boras Holds All The Cards In This Free Agent Market

Here's my theory: Scott Boras wants Mark Teixeira in Boston.

Teixeira, a native of Maryland, would be happy to go back East, happy to accept whatever ridiculous deal the Red Sox gave him.

That way, both the Angels and Yankees would remain options for Manny Ramirez, Boras' other major free-agent slugger.

The Angels could sign free-agent left-hander CC Sabathia with the money they had slotted for Teixeira. They also could add Ramirez to fill Garret Anderson's slot and protect them against the possible departure of Vladimir Guerrero as a free agent after next season.

Sabathia, who is represented by the Legacy Sports Group, might cost $150 million over six years, Ramirez $90 million over three. But the additions of both would give the Angels utter control of the Los Angeles market, and make them the favorites to win the World Series.

Teixeira to Boston, Sabathia and Ramirez to the Angels. The Yankees would freak out if all that transpired, and yet another Boras client — free-agent right-hander Derek Lowe — would be the immediate beneficiary.

Oh, and don't forget Boras' free-agent catcher, Jason Varitek, who could return to Boston to join Teixeira, his friend and fellow Georgia Tech alum, with Boras posing between them at the news conference.

See how all this works?

If you think Boras lacks the vision to formulate such a grandiose plan, then you haven't been paying attention for oh, about the past 20 years.  Boras not only reads the market better than most agents, he reads it better than most clubs.

And when he holds this many prominent pieces, he is fully capable of manipulating the process to his advantage.

Obviously, things could go awry, particularly with Ramirez, whose market remains unclear.

The Yankees simply might decide to sign Sabathia at any cost, particularly when they figure out that the Angels' interest is sincere and that the Giants might be serious players for CC, too.

If the Yankees indeed land Sabathia, they could add Lowe or A.J. Burnett as their second major free-agent piece and address their offense through lesser signings or trades.

The Angels seem hotter for Ramirez, but owner Arte Moreno might have just wanted to tweak the Dodgers when he said, "At the end of the day, you want people who can hit, and he may be one of top right-handed hitters ever."

Ramirez sure doesn't seem like Mike Scioscia's type of player; Raul Ibanez or Adam Dunn might be a better fit. But if Moreno wants Ramirez, Scioscia and the rest of the Angels' baseball people will have no choice but to fall in line.

One thing is certain: Ramirez would be easier to counsel (read: babysit) if he remained with a team close to Boras' headquarters in Newport Beach, Ca. Teixeira, on the other hand, requires no adult supervision, which is yet another reason why Boras might prefer him in Boston.

The Red Sox clearly want Teixeira, but the Angels will wait on him for only so long. At some point, the Angels might simply determine that their chances are better with Sabathia, whose preference is to be on the West Coast.

You'll notice I haven't mentioned the Dodgers, the only team that is known to have made a contract proposal offer to Ramirez. The Dodgers also should be a favorite for Sabathia, offering him — like the Giants — the chance not only to play on the West Coast, but also the National League.

Well, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday, Dodgers president Jamie McCourt wondered aloud about whether it would be "a little weird" to sign big-money free agents while the nation's economy is reeling.

McCourt also said that the free-agent game would be more tolerable if the players' contracts were not guaranteed — an antiquated point of view that is certain to draw ridicule, no matter how much clubs wish it were true.

McCourt's husband, owner Frank McCourt, indicated that the club will not raise its offer to Ramirez. The Dodgers have given no indication they will be a serious player for Sabathia. No wonder agents are again questioning the Dodgers' willingness to spend big.

The Dodgers still could sign a lesser free-agent bat, trade for Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano and piece together their pitching. But now is not the time for a high-revenue team to fret over baseball economics, not when Sabathia is there for the taking and Boras is ready to play ball.

The game is about to start.

The dominos are about to fall.

This article originally published on FOXSports.com.

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