SCOTT BORAS & HIS UNSIGNED CLIENTS! DID HE BLOW IT?

As a baseball fan, the free agent market this winter hasn't been as exciting as I hoped it would be. Sure, Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto were exciting to watch even though neither of them are Yankees but I am left wanting more.

Speaking of wanting more....so are Scott Boras and his still unsigned free agents. Boras is known to have his clients go deep into the offseason before signing but, we are two weeks away from pitchers and catchers reporting to Spring Training. Yikes! The clock is ticking, and Jordan Montgomery and Blake Snell still do not know where they are reporting.

This reminds me of the 2017 and 2018 offseason when the top four free agents were also Boras clients. So, it's DeJa'Vu all over again. This time I think it is a little different because I think Boras misread the market. The Dodgers are the big spenders and then a couple other teams are spending some cash and then there's a whooooolllleee lotta teams that are doing squat.

It's not easy out there. I know Boras is used to playing the waiting game, but he's waiting for an unrealistic offer for Snell. The Yankees offer for six years and $150 million was decent. There's some wiggle room there, as always. I know Boras isn't interested in decent, he wants and that is his job but his counteroffer of nine years and $270 million isn't even in the ballpark. Teams aren't looking for a long-term deal for a pitcher that will be pushing 40 years old. That counter left no room for negotiation, so he shouldn't be surprised that the Yankees pivoted.

If I'm Jordan Montgomery I might be more worried than Snell is. It is believed by many, that Montgomery wants to return to the Texas Rangers. I can see why he would, however, the Rangers have a BIG financial crisis right now. Their TV deal is in jeopardy because Diamond Sports Network is in bankruptcy and if there is no resolution the Rangers can't afford to sign him. That's an embarrassing predicament for the reigning World Series champions to be in. It's time to start thinking about Plan B.

I have a soft spot for Cody Bellinger because I really liked watching his dad Clay Bellinger play for us back in the day. I've met Clay too, and he's a good guy that gives back to the community. He did an interview for us back in 2016 to check out EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: CLAY BELLINGER it's one of my favorites. I've always hoped that Cody would one day follow his dad's path and be a Yankee. A girl can dream, but it isn't likely. At this point, I am sure Cody would just like a contract and honestly I do too. I wish there was a better market for him, but right now it is pretty thin. He's been searching for that multi-year deal for over $200 million and the market just isn't there. I think there is mutual interest for Cody and the Cubs to reunite, and I think it could happen, but it won't be what he hoped for.

There's a cliche that I like to use a lot and that's "read the room" and if Boras did that, he would see that the majority of MLB's 30 teams are not spending big money. Last winter the Giants tried to spend big money (but didn't succeed). The Mets spent money last year (it didn't work out for them), the Yankees did the year before and this year the Dodgers spent $1.1 BILLION dollars. Aside from that, no one is spending. Boras is trying to command a price the market does not dictate, and it makes him look silly. 

It's time for a reality check, Boras....time to drop your price tags and negotiate.

--Jeana Bellezza-Ochoa

BYB Senior Managing Editor

Twitter: @nyprincessj