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Theo Epstein responds to Scott Boras, defends Cubs' handling of Kris Bryant
The loudest voice in the debate over whether the Chicago Cubs should start Kris Bryant in the minor leagues this season not surprisingly belongs to Bryant's agent, the infamous Scott Boras. Simply said, Boras has never been shy about expressing his opinions, particularly when they involve his clients and their potential future income, and the circumstances surrounding Bryant play right into his wheelhouse.
The situation is this: If the Cubs delay Bryant’s big league debut by two or three weeks, they will gain an extra year of control before he qualifies for free agency. The forward-thinking Boras understands that one year will delay what could very easily be a massive payday for his client, and all spring he's been aggressively pushing back against the decision he assumes the Cubs have already made.
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In particular, Boras has been critical of Cubs ownership for what he sees as manipulation of the system to save money. He's also quick to point out how holding Bryant back would negatively impact the integrity of the league, even though league rules allow for such maneuvering. Understandably, such public criticisms are beginning to annoy Cubs brass, and on Wednesday team president Theo Epstein tailored a thoughtful response to Boras while speaking to Comcast SportsNet's David Kaplan.
"I have a lot of respect for Scott and he, by and large, does a great job for his clients," Epstein said. "The only part about it that bothers me is that he certainly could have picked up the phone before going to the national media about this. He never once called me and asked me if Kris would make the team or anything about his situation. So just from a personal level and professional respect, that would have been something that I would have done if I was in his shoes."
Of course, Epstein himself could have picked up the phone in an attempt to smooth things over with Boras. But it seems like he understood the futily in those efforts once Boras started playing his cards.
"Beyond that, Scott has a forum and obviously people are publishing what he says. He has a job to do and he has a great client who is a fantastic kid. The person who is handling this with the most professionalism and maturity is Kris Bryant. I couldn’t be more proud of how he is handling a very difficult situation. He is getting asked about it every day. He doesn’t get to just go focus on playing the game; he is asked about this from all corners and he is handling himself in a way that makes the Cubs proud.
Epstein is certainly right about that. Bryant has been remarkably unfazed by the drama, which probably further cements the belief he's ready to handle the job right away.
But the most interesting take away here might be what Epstein said in conclusion to his interview.
"As far as when Kris makes his major league debut and whether it will be part of this Opening Day roster, we haven’t put that final roster together yet," Epstein said. "I can say this: This is my 13th time putting a team together at the end of spring training and I have never once put a young prospect on an opening day roster when he had to make his major league debut."
"I’ve never done it and it’s always been for baseball reasons. This is not a different situation than we’ve faced in the past, so let’s make the best decision for the Chicago Cubs and for Kris Bryant’s development."
Likely translation: Kris Bryant will begin the year in the minor leagues. Deal with it, Mr. Boras.
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Of course, Epstein cited baseball reasons for those past decisions, which included giving Dustin Pedroia, Jacoby Ellsbury and even Jon Lester extra time in the minors. We all know better than that. It's business, and that's perfectly fine. Those guys all got paid, too, by the way, so perhaps the real message should be that talent always wins out in the end anyway.
Either way, it seems like we have a pretty good idea how this is going to play out. Now the question is: Can Boras actually deal with it?
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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at bigleaguestew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
