Every off-season is different but one thing usually remains a constant – the raging sentiments against Scott Boras. Last time, he came under major scrutiny after not being able to land four key players a long-term deal. They even had a name for the group: “Boras Four.” There were Cody Bellinger, Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell, and Matt Chapman. Most fans and analysts claimed that Boras simply doesn’t know the true value of his clients. Or that he has lost that spark.

This season too, a similar case is happening with Alex Bregman and Pete Alonso. These top stars from Houston and New York are yet to get placed in their respective corners. Now none of their previous teams are ready to pay the rate they are looking for. And Scott Boras and his clients simply don’t want to bend the knee. So two veteran players are still in the free market. Fans are asking—why don’t his clients simply fire him? Why do players want him as their agent? What’s the secret? Tarik Skubal has answered why exactly!

Tarik Skubal has Scott Boras’s back

Now for years, Boras has been a polarizing figure in baseball. He is either a genius negotiator or a ruthless businessman. It usually depends on who you asked. Even though right now he isn’t the most favorite character in the MLB world, Tigers ace Tarik Skubul is setting the record straight. For him, no matter what rumors are said, he and Boras share a great rapport.

In a recent interview with Tiger Territory, Skubal admitted that once he was planning to go elsewhere. But Boras and the team asked for one more meeting. Skubal recalled, saying, “And the next day, they were at my hometown.”

That’s the level of commitment that Scott Boras as an agent takes. Also, Boras didn’t end up in his hometown just because; he came armed with numbers. Skubal mentioned, “They sat in my house and presented every number of everything they had done,” Skubal explained; from draft contracts, arbitration, and free agency contracts—everything. Boras and his team laid out a detailed comparison between their work and the agent he was considering going for. That’s when Skubal really noticed the difference between other agents and Boras. Like others, even he had heard the rumors that Boras treats his clients like a business transaction. Or that he values just superstars.

But the reality is far from it. After the experience, Tarik Skubal said, “It was really cool, and then our relationship has grown, you know, ever since then, and it’s been good.” Not everyone subscribes to the notion that it’s a meat market, and Scott Boras doesn’t care about players on a personal level. The fact that Pete Alonso, even after the chaos, still sticks with him says a lot.

Why Pete Alonso refuses to jump ship on Scott Boras

The big elephant in the room is—why is Pete Alonso still loyal to Scott Boras? Even after his free agency has been busted. Plus, he declined the $153 million by the New York Mets. It seems a hasty decision, not probably thought over. He even brushed off a three-year deal with opt-outs worth over $70 million. And the criticism for Boras is rising. Sports radio host Evan Roberts mentioned, “Scott Boras is going to get fired.” But Alonso has since shut down all attempts to have other agents contact him. He isn’t into moving on from Boras.

Perhaps Pete Alonso is buying into Boras’s long-term strategy, one that worked out for Blake Snell. So Boras looked to a six-year, $175 million deal for Snell. But that deal failed to materialize. His next best plan was a short-term high AVV contract for Blake Snell. He then joined the Giants, and finally, this offseason locked in a $139 million deal with the LA Dodgers. So in total, Snell will earn $171 million over six years. Just a little shy of Boras’s initial number. Mind blown?

Right now it seems like Pete Alonso might be banking on the same strategy. So a high AVV, short-term deal with opt-outs seems to be the play he and Boras are going for.

Do you think Boras’s playbook will work? Let us know in the comments.