Among the most well-known sports agents is Scott Boras. Players strive to be represented by him, as he represents some of the biggest names in a range of sports. Players like Carlos Rodon, Corey Seager, Juan Soto, Max Scherzer, Xander Bogaerts, Bryce Harper, Gerrit Cole, and others are represented by Boras.
The players that sign the largest deals during any given offseason are frequently Boras’s clients, who frequently set the market for free agency. A few years ago, Max Scherzer might have been in St. Louis. The Red Sox outbid St. Louis for David Price at the last minute, and Jayson Heyward turned down a better contract from St. Louis in 2016.
For the past few years, the story has been that St. Louis is unappealing to free agents for a variety of reasons, chief among them being its smaller market than places like Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, and so on. However, Scott Boras was recently quoted as saying that St. Louis is still a desirable destination for free agents for a number of reasons.
Agent Scott Boras on the pitching-thin #STLCards potentially being more aggressive in free agency: “I think St. Louis is a very valued market and it always has been. Players love to play there. A lot of times, when it's competitive & you're in the contract world …
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— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) November 8, 2023
Scott Boras states, “St. Louis is and has always been a highly valued market. There, players adore playing.” Players and free agents alike find St. Louis to be a desirable location due to its history, persistent drive for success, and overall culture.
Boras represents players like Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger, and Jordan Montgomery; the Cardinals have been connected to both pitchers this offseason. Boras played for Matt Holliday in Major League Baseball, so he is somewhat acquainted with how St. Louis functions.
Derrick Goold of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported (subscription required) that Snell in particular has been inquiring about what it’s like to play in St. Louis, suggesting that his market may be closer to what St. Louis wants to pay than initially thought.
With so many teams vying for starting pitchers in the offseason, maybe St. Louis can leverage their legacy to attract free agents. They just need to make a strong case for the city and the team to John Mozeliak and the front office, because they have enough cash to match the big spenders.
