It’s one thing for Scott Boras to use Jon Heyman to drum up a market for one of his clients where one does not exist, but we now seem to have crossed over into a world where Heyman is actually handling the negotiations for Jarrod Washburn. From his latest column:
This is not reporting. This is even beyond opinion. This is straight negotiation, and combative and heavy-handed negotiation at that. But if Heyman is going to play Boras, I don’t see why I can’t play Jack Zduriencik:
“With all due respect, Scott, though we value Jarrod and think we can find a place for him on our club, we feel that his performance last year was far more a function of the defense behind him and good fortune than of his native skills. We are also less convinced that his second half struggles were as much about his injuries as they were about regression to the mean and a reflection of his true abilities at this point in his career.
“But please, Scott, let’s keep this civil. We are not “lowballing” your client, and we resent the implication. We feel we are making him a good faith offer. If you insist on disparaging us in the media as opposed to making a counter offer, I’m afraid this negotiation will have to end.
“And, no, the Royals are not on the scene, so please stop bluffing us with that.”
Wow! Role playing is fun!