The man behind MLB's biggest deals
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The biggest trade in MLB history had a familiar man behind the curtain: Scott Boras.
State of play: Juan Soto's trade to the Padres came after the 23-year-old rejected the Nationals' 15-year, $440 million extension, which would have been a record.
- Boras believes (and many agree) that his client deserves an even bigger sum, and he wasn't about to settle.
- Soto will be a Padre for at least the next 2.5 seasons. Soon thereafter, if not before then, he's expected to sign the richest contract in baseball history. It's the Boras way.
The big picture: Boras has made a career of securing massive deals for his clients, engineering nine of the 23 MLB contracts that have exceeded $200 million, including six that set records at the time.
- Alex Rodriguez (2000, Rangers): 10 years, $252 million — largest MLB contract ever
- Rodriguez (2007, Yankees): 10 years, $275 million — largest MLB contract ever
- Prince Fielder (2012, Tigers): Nine years, $214 million
- Max Scherzer (2015, Nationals): Seven years, $210 million — largest ever for a free agent pitcher
- Bryce Harper (2019, Phillies): 13 years, $330 million — largest MLB contract ever
- Stephen Strasburg (2019, Nationals): Seven years, $245 million — largest ever for a pitcher
- Gerrit Cole (2019, Yankees): Nine years, $324 million — largest ever for a pitcher
- Anthony Rendon (2019, Angels): Seven years, $245 million
- Corey Seager (2021, Rangers): 10 years, $325 million
The backdrop: Boras Corp. still rules the roost, but a competitor just bolstered its operations, with Wasserman (clients include Nolan Arenado and Giancarlo Stanton) acquiring Jet Sports (Chris Sale, Byron Buxton).
