CLEVELAND -- Scott Boras made his way into the American League All-Stars’ press conference Monday, wading through a sea of reporters and in between podiums dotted with clients.
One of his main ones, and perhaps the biggest in the upcoming offseason, Anthony Rendon, was not with the National League group, which rolled in 30 minutes later. Rendon remains in Washington to fix his tight left hamstring and quad, which has been nagging him for more than a month.
But, he was finally named to an All-Star team for the first time, giving Boras and Rendon further leverage when they discuss his contractual future. Boras, Rendon and the team have been working on an extension for years. Of late, those conversations have slowed.
When asked Monday if Rendon remains open to discussing a contract extension as the season moved along, Boras told NBC Sports Washington, “I think he’s focused on the season.”
Boras, as he does, mostly touted his client’s ability and how it is relevant in the marketplace. Rendon is finally graduating from being labeled "underrated" to being appreciated among the game’s elite. Without Bryce Harper in Washington, he has become the central point of the offense, in addition to being an elite defender at third base.
“I think our data today shows that he’s on the way to a six-WAR season again,” Boras said Monday ahead of the Home Run Derby. “That would be three in a row, and there’s only one other player in baseball who's done that, and that would be Mike Trout. The status of Anthony is starting to reveal itself; the importance he has to a team.
"As to what the Washington ownership does with that in the long run, they’ve made some good business decisions in the past, and just kind of hope for them and everyone else... they’re great people to work with. I don’t know what their diagnostics are, but we’ll see as we approach the offseason.”
Boras was in Washington over the weekend. He cautioned not to read into that since he has multiple clients on the roster and was on a four-city tour before coming to Cleveland for the All-Star festivities. This, of course, could be a plain truth or posturing.
“I go to a lot of ballparks. It doesn’t mean we’re investing into anything that’s relevant to contract terms,” Boras said.
However, the overall tone of his comments Monday when asked about Rendon’s contract shifted more toward the future. Rendon, 29, told NBC Sports Washington at spring training that talks had come to a “halt,” then later followed with a summation of his stance on the situation, which he has since repeated: “If [an extension] happens, it happens, if it doesn’t it doesn’t.”
When asked further Monday about the overall situation, Boras intimated the onus was on Washington’s ownership to fuel the next step.
“Ted and the Lerner family, and the organization, we’ve always worked out things -- usually,” Boras said.
“There are times that they make decisions and we make decisions, and I think they’ve been very good decisions for all parties involved. When they sit down and look at where their franchise is going, that’s a direction they have to give us. Obviously, they have to make those decisions. Rendon is a superstar and that is a major decision in their franchise. I don’t ask. I just go and prepare for our meetings and we talk and kind of listen to what they tell us they want to do. It’s really in their corner as to how we go from there.”
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