Agent Scott Boras Says Disparity is Part of Baseball, Free Agency

Famed agent Scott Boras spoke with the media at the winter meetings.

Dec 11, 2024; Dallas, TX, USA; Sports agent Scott Boras speaks with the media during the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings at Hilton Anatole. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Arizona Diamondbacks might not have made any moves at the 2024 MLB Winter Meetings, but it hasn't exactly been a quiet off-season.

Of course, as seems to be frequently the case, it's the D-backs' rivals who are benefiting from the Free Agent market.

The inevitable Los Angeles Dodgers dumped $182 million on a five-year deal for Cy Young winning lefty Blake Snell, and $17 million for a one-year signing of outfielder Michael Conforto, despite Conforto hitting a mere .237 last season.

But it hasn't just been the Dodgers. The San Francisco Giants put $182 million into seven years of shortstop Willy Adames.

Then, of course, the New York Mets, a perpetual thorn in Arizona's side and surging National League menace landed the big fish. Star outfielder Juan Soto signed a 15-year, $765 million contract to move from the Bronx to Queens.

That contract somehow managed to dwarf even the 10-year, $700 million deal signed by Shohei Ohtani ahead of 2024, though the Average Annual Value is notably less.

It does feel as if the 2024 off-season has had a sharper tinge to it. Sure, contracts increase every year, and the more money teams spend, the louder these conversations get.

But the market is seeing a great deal of investment, and high dollar amounts for players that might not even be considered stars, while superstars are getting record-breaking deals as the years progress.

Renowned agent Scott Boras - perhaps the most instrumental man involved in the free agency market - spoke about the free agency market at the Winter Meetings. He was asked why he thinks the market feels so different in 2024.

"It brings a definition of resources for the teams. Media is more understood, more defined as to what the plan will be ahead. I also think that expiring contracts sometimes in this market have a lot to do [with it]," Boras said.

But ultimately, it might simply be results. Perhaps these results are being highlighted at a higher rate, but it's become more and more obvious what types of player are conducive to winning.

"The real lesson of this is that star-level players, playoff-caliber starting pitching, power in the postseason are winning consistently," said Boras "And those are the things the teams are pursuing with really just great aggression."

D-backs fans can often be (understandably) frustrated at the market. Seemingly, many if not all of the top free agents are snapped up by the richest of rival teams, especially the Dodgers.

There are always plenty of calls for a salary cap, or fairness measures, or restrictions on deferred salaries, a tool Los Angeles (but not only Los Angeles) loves to utilize.

Of course, those are highly unlikely to ever occur. Especially from the perspective of players and the MLBPA, why would they want to restrict their own ability to make life-changing money?

But Boras thinks that, while there is disparity in MLB, that's simply a product of a healthy league. Even if there are measures to protect fairness, some teams will simply be more competitive in their ability to offer contracts.

"You know, part of a sports league is disparity. There's always a Goliath and there's always a David in a great sports league. And I don't care what league it is and I don't care whether you have salary caps or not, you start to see those things happen in sport and it's always been that way," Boras said.

That disparity, he said, comes from the rise in value of the franchises themselves. As the clubs become more valuable, so will the players themselves.

"I've listened about market disparity and needs and such, but the one thing that's common is that every ownership that was bought for $100 or $200 million is now worth $2 to $3 billion.  And I think that part of it is the greatest part of being part of a sports league.

"And the disparity part is just merely a competitive choice that you choose while being in the league that is appreciating at dramatic levels," Boras said.

Perhaps it really is that simple. It's not so much an "it is what it is" mentality to have, but it is simple economics. Of course, the rise in both contract values themselves and the intensity with which clubs vie for players will certainly benefit Boras, and others of his profession.

But it does seem likely that these price tags will only continue to increase. Notably, Boras represents D-backs ace Zac Gallen.

Gallen, who is a free agent in 2026, will have a major market ahead of him, and will, in all likelihood, benefit from the above-mentioned factors.

On a smaller scale, free agent first baseman and former D-back Josh Bell is also represented by Boras. If Arizona looks to bring Bell back, it could be for a surprising number.

And left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who has parted ways with Boras, might have more of a market ahead of him than expected.

With starters like Matt Boyd signing a deal worth up to $30 million over two years (among other large deals), an MLB team might be more willing to absorb some of Montgomery's salary, even with his poor numbers.

Regardless, there's no way to escape richer teams grabbing top-tier free agents, for now at least. The Diamondbacks will have to rely on shrewd, role-filling moves, as they did in 2024, and hope to be the "David" that takes down the "Goliaths" like the Dodgers when it matters the most.