Scott Boras sure knows how to sell his top free agent in OF Bryce Harper.
Boras, MLB's top agent, took some time at the GM Meetings in Carlsbad, CA to speak to reporters about a variety of subjects from the state of the MLB to his very intriguing 25-year-old All-Star.
Harper is in the prime of his career, and is expected to see a megadeal with a new team before the season begins. Boras explained why Harper's situation is so rare due to his status as a "generational player."
"You're talking about a process that is very unconventional because you're dealing with a generational player," Boras said. "And what is a generational player? That is he holds the qualities of elite performance. He holds the youngest age in free-agent history to be available to for the greatest number of elite years of performance. He has a rights position that is not negotiated from an arbitration control situation. It's negotiated from a true free agency.
"And you have an iconic player, a player that certainly for his past franchise in Washington that the attendance went up over 600,000 fans and remain there. Their TV rates have nearly tripled. Their franchise value went from $480 million to over $2 billion. You've seen an owner's dream happen before you, and for an owner to know the rocket ship of economic opportunity is just blasting off because the player is just entering the prime of his career, you're really talking about a unique, rare opportunity for an owner."
Those are strong words coming from Boras, but that is what he will ultimately be pitching owners while helping Harper negotiate his new deal.
The question remains if the Yankees will be a major player in the "Harper's Bazaar," as Boras proclaimed it. SNY's Andy Martino has been reporting the team doesn't see Harper as a fit. The Yankees have a crowded outfield with Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks leading the way.
However, Boras made it known that Harper would be willing to change his position to first base -- a position the Yankees don't have locked in for the 2019 season. Although Martino says that piqued the Yankees' interest a bit, he still doesn't feel the vibe right now that the team are high on Harper.
.@martinonyc says the Yankees have taken notice to Bryce Harper's willingness to play first base pic.twitter.com/cNeNf57Wp8
- SportsNet New York (@SNYtv) November 8, 2018
"The reason I've been pessimistic about the Yankees signing Bryce Harper is that my sourcing has been, and coming from place I trust enough to put it out there, that they really don't like this player very much," Martino said.
But, as Martino points out, Yankees GM Brian Cashman likes to keep blinders over what he and the team are truly doing when it comes to acquiring talent. The Yankees could very well want to make a push at Harper, and if Boras could persuade New York to make that push, it would be to truly look at the rare talent they could have in pinstripes.
"What makes Bryce Harper's performance elite?" Boras questioned. "I think when you get into the category of both potential and you get into the category of what he's done prior to the age of 25, you're looking at this from the standpoint to say I know that anyone who's done what Bryce Harper has done at 25, if you've done that, you're almost a lock to be a Hall of Fame player."