How much do I have to pay for 'No. 1 in the FA Pitcher Rankings'? Boras's Moving Market, '$250 Million-$300 Million' U.S. Media
Nov 28, 2024
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As left-hander Blake Snell agreed to a five-year, $182 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers on the 27th (Korea time), the prediction that the market demand for top-class FA will explode has turned out to be a reality.
Snell's price, as well as the total amount, exceeded the contract size initially expected by local media. Earlier this month, ESPN predicted $124 million for four years, $160 million for MLBTR for five years, $110 million for The Athletic for four years, $105 million for three years for FanGraphs and $158 million for five years for Bleacher Report, respectively.
In particular, AAV attracts attention as it is more than $36 million for New York Yankees Gerrit Cole. For this reason, there are rumors that Scott Boras's skill in 'Super Agent' will hit the market again. Boras landed Japanese pitcher Yusei Kikuchi at the Los Angeles Angels for three years and $63 million on the 26th. This is also larger than expected.
Snell, who signed a two-year, $62 million contract with the San Francisco Giants in March, returned in early July after struggling with sluggishness and injuries throughout the first half due to lack of training, and succeeded in raising the ransom by posting an ERA of 1.23 in 14 games, including No-Hitter.
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Of these, there are four members: Soto, Burns, Bregman, and Alonso.
The FA that will be most directly affected by Snell's jackpot should be seen as Burns. This is because the ransom expected by local media is more than $200 million. ESPN expected $225 million for seven years, MLBTR expected $200 million for seven years, The Athletic expected $217 million for seven years, FanGraphs expected $196 million for seven years, and Bleacher Report expected $224 million for seven years.
New York Yankees, New York Mets, Baltimore Orioles, and Boston Red Sox, who were aiming for Snell, are in demand for Burns. MLB Network reporter John Hayman said, `According to multiple sources, the Yankees, Red Sox, and Orioles are all-in on Snell. They said their eyes will be on other pitchers.
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"Burns will certainly be guaranteed a longer contract than Snell, but we don't know if AAV will be more than Snell, but considering the period, he will get a much bigger contract," a senior NL official predicted.
Unlike Snell, who has been jagged throughout his career due to frequent injuries and ball control anxiety despite his stellar career, where he won two Cy Young Awards, Burns has passed the regular innings without any injuries for four consecutive years since 2021, when he played a full-time rotation. In 2021, he won the NL Cy Young Award with an 11-5 record and a 2.43 ERA, and this season, when he was traded to Baltimore, he pitched 194 ⅓ innings in 32 games, marking a 15-9 record, 2.92, and 181 strikeouts, continuing his stability. He has thrown 757 innings in the last four years with a 2.94 ERA.
For this reason, some say that Burns' ransom should be viewed as $250 million to $300 million. Blitzer Report predicted late last month that if Max Fried is similar to Carlos Rodon, who signed with the Yankees for $162 million, Burns will receive $100 million more than that.
jhno@sportschosun.com
