MLB Rumors: Are teams making a statement by not signing Scott Boras' clients?

Cody Bellinger, Outfielder

On Opening Day at Wrigley Field, center field could be occupied with Pete Crow-Armstrong, who is Chicago's long-term answer to replacing Bellinger. According to owner Tom Ricketts, Boras went directly to him to try to negotiate the Bellinger contract, usurping president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer in the process.

Ricketts would have no part of it. He told reporters that he would not deal directly with Boras because that "undermines the credibility of your general manager. And so inserting yourself into that negotiation, I don't think that helps. So, I don't talk to him."

Bellinger, 28, hit .307 last season with 26 home runs, 97 RBI, 95 runs scored and 20 stolen bases en route to a career high .881 OPS.

While MLB insider Bob Nightengale believes the Cubs remain an inevitability for Bellinger, and that the outfielder has no other substantial offers, Chicago's leadership certainly isn't budging.

Matt Chapman, third base

The Cubs would love to have Chapman, a four-time Gold Glove winner, as well, but due to his pricey demands through Boras, the team is looking seriously at playing Christopher Morel at third base.

“Christopher’s done so much with the bat that it’s our job to figure out the best way to deploy him, My idea at the start of camp is to kind of focus mainly at third base. Let’s see where we’re at. Let’s evaluate that as we go. But let’s give him a chance at third base. Let’s give him some consistency at third base and see where we’re at, roster-wise, at some point in camp and then go forward from there.”

The Giants could be a soft landing spot for Chapman, according to MLB Insider Mike Rodriguez. Rodriguez has gone on the record as stating that the Giants are looking for another bat for their lineup and, according to his sources, it is Chapman. But, as is the norm, San Francisco hasn't budged much in recent weeks either.

Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi, who just opened the war chest for Jorge Soler, told Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic that at some point in time, you have to fish or cut bait, and that it is time to move on and get ready with the team that he's already assembled.

“It’s a little bit more disruptive to add at this point. And, you know, anybody who’s a free agent, we’ve theoretically had 3 1/2 months to figure out a deal and if it hasn’t happened yet, at some point organizationally, you just need to turn the page and focus on the players you have.”

Blake Snell, starting pitcher

The former San Diego Padres left-hander is now a free agent, and perhaps the top southpaw available at this point in time. Snell won the Cy Young Award last season, as well as in 2018, while he was with the Tampa Bay Rays.

The New York Yankees have been rumored to be interested in Snell, but as Brendan Kuty and Chris Kushner of The Athletic noted, a one-year $40 million contract would actually cost the Yankees $84 million with the luxury tax. A short-term desperation deal would actually be worse for them than a longer-term pact.

It does not appear as though the Yankees are going to want to take on that type of liability for a one-year starter. They are believed to have made a contractual offer to Snell, but it appears as though the terms are unavailable and it was rejected by Boras and Co. before the Yankees signed Marcus Stroman.

The Yankees were looking at signing Snell and Jordan Montgomery, as they need to bolster their rotation, but that seems to be unlikely at this stage of the game.

Any team that signs Snell would also face a qualifying offer penalty, since Snell rejected it from the Padres. That would mean that the Yankees would lose second and fifth round picks in next season's draft and $1 million from their international pool.

"The players that are out there right now, that, probably, a bunch of fans are talking about, we're not in the market for those players. But there are definitely other players that can have a positive impact on our team that [president of baseball operations Derek Falvey], I'm sure, is looking at."

Jordan Montgomery, starting pitcher

Montgomery, formerly of the Texas Rangers, is 31 years old and is a free agent. He won a World Series last season with the Rangers and made 32 appearances between Texas and St. Louis. Monty was not extended a qualifying offer by the Rangers because he was obtained from the Cardinals midseason. Therefore, teams would lose nothing by signing Montgomery, but will be compelled to pay him a handsome ransom as part of the "Boras Four". Due to the uncertainty surrounding the Rangers' new TV deal -- or simply because of their internal valuation -- the reigning World Champs all but officially moved on from Montgomery last week. They were his presumed landing spot for the vast majority of the offseason, but now the fit feels extremely unlikely.

There have been rumors that the Red Sox were going to make an offer to Montgomery, which bubbled up again as late as Monday night. However, nothing has surfaced as of yet. Boston has been long connected to Montgomery, but would need him to fall into the price range they've assigned to him. Craig Breslow is working under budgetary restrictions.

Tuesday night, the Minnesota Twins threw in the towel and said that they would not be getting into a bidding war for any of the "Boras Four" as they have been dubbed. Twins CEO Joe Pohlad said that they are not in the market for a $30 million a year player. There was some thought that the Twins would be a good landing spot for Snell, but that has since been quashed as of late Tuesday night.

Pohlad pointed to Tampa Bay Rays and the Baltimore Orioles as two teams that have had some success without high payrolls, and that is the modicum that the Twins are going to follow.