Speaking with a leaguewide conglomerate of baseball writers on Tuesday afternoon, agent Scott Boras tipped his cap — in his own, peculiar way — to the rebirth of the New York Mets.
“It’s nice to have ownership with big apples,” Boras punned, referencing Steve Cohen’s $2.4 billion purchase of the team and the bravado he’s exuded since taking the reins. “I think this apple’s not gonna have any worms in it.”
The Mets have been early players in the free-agent market this offseason, having been linked to some of the biggest fish in the pond — George Springer and Trevor Bauer, most notably — signifying a drastic shift from the organization’s philosophy under the previous ownership regime.
The Mets’ inclusion back into the game’s elite is a positive development for baseball, top to bottom — mega-agents included, and with just cause.
Boras also touched on one of the Mets’ most pressing in-house matters, the ever-nearing free-agency and potential extension of outfielder Michael Conforto. Though, he didn’t reveal too many secrets, instead choosing to drop a proverbial pin in the discussion until later in the offseason.
Conforto, 27, is coming off of a solid, COVID-shortened season. The former first-round draft pick hit .322/.412/.515 with nine home runs, 12 doubles, and a 10.3% walk rate over 233 plate appearances. His 157 wRC+ and 2.0 wins above replacement (FanGraphs) ranked eighth and 13th in the NL, respectively.
We’ll keep you posted as new information becomes available.
