Dodgers Team News

Dodgers: Stan Kasten Talks Scott Boras During Gerrit Cole Free Agency Process

Finally, you get some answers from Los Angeles Dodgers’ ownership. Indeed – in the wake of missing out on the marquee move this winter – many have been waiting to hear what is on the mind of the Dodgers’ brass.

Now, Stan Kasten talks with Bill Plaschke about a variety of subjects. To narrow on one of those important subjects is the negotiations with star pitcher Gerrit Cole. Remember – Cole is represented by agent Scott Boras – and various reports said the Dodgers were not given the opportunity to match the New York Yankees’ monstrous contract offer.



First off, Kasten says that Cole never really wanted to be anywhere but the Bronx. Equally important, the owner says the Dodgers were simply a pawn used in the game to get the number Boras wanted for Cole. Finally, Kasten is fine with how super agent Boras treated the Dodgers.

“It is clear now, I think it was clear to us in the middle of the process, he wanted to be a Yankee, he just did,” Kasten said. “In retrospect, I think we were just the stalking horse to get a number he finally could get from a team he wanted to go to. I don’t have any quibble with his approach or with Scott’s approach, it was all very fair, but he wants to be somewhere, he got a lot of money to be where he wanted to be.”

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While that sounds fine and well, it just seems off. Perhaps Boras never allowed the Dodgers a chance to match the Yankees’ offer as some have speculated. Still, why would an agent like Boras known for pushing the envelope not do just that? Remember at one point, Cole had to clarify that he didn’t prefer a West Coast team. Initial reports were significant that he wanted to be in California.

Finally, taking Kasten at his opinion here is to believe the Dodgers never had a chance at Gerrit Cole. Whether or not that is true we will never know, but Dodgers’ ownership has accepted the loss in this small battle for MLB supremacy and moved forward.

NEXT: Dodgers Need to Get Aggressive, says Radio Host

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15 Comments

  1. Clint, I find this part of the Plaschke article kind of interesting:
    “Just because fans buy tickets doesn’t mean they’re buying the team’s vision. It appears that while they might rightfully appreciate the money ownership spent to restore Dodger Stadium, fans still don’t like what’s been done with the team.

    “For sure there are some fans who that feel that way, and a lot of people in the Twitterverse feel that way,” Kasten said. “But I don’t know that you’re right about that. Based on the fans that support us … including this coming year … incredibly strong support and ticket sales … you keep trying to convince yourself that everyone hates us. I just think you’re wrong.”

    Yet, it appears something in the ownership philosophy has to change so the results on the field are ultimately different” Just curious what you and other fans feel about what Kasten was saying here.

    1. I wish we had Kasten’s account on twitter! 🙂

      Whole article was one of the more interesting reads I can recall. So much I read it twice.

      1. I’ve always thought that Boras was predisposed to pass on deals with the Dodgers because he views them as a moneyball, tight fisted organization. Boras prefers teams like the Yankees who throw hundreds of millions of dollars at free agents routinely and thereby provide a reliable source of income for Boras via his slice of each pie. Boras has a virtual Monopoly on top free agents. He has way too much power. But what can anyone do about it? Players choose him so they can get the big bucks. But I think it’s true that the Dodgers were just a pawn played by Boras WRT Cole. Boras didn’t want Cole to go to the Dodgers. He just wanted to bid up the price while presenting a faint illusion of a fair bidding process, and then deal him to his best friends, the Yankees.

    2. Yeah what needs to change is people need to stay away for a year and see if that makes any difference. Of course, in response the Dodgers will raise ticket prices aying they need more money to be competitive. Noe wouldn’t that prove the ownership groups motives to be all about money and not about winning the world championship… Kasten is a drone for a money machine. That’s it and all he will ever be.

  2. Kasten is right. The Dodgers are near the top every year in player salaries. The Dodgers are in the playoffs every year, & last year won 106 games. The Dodgers spend money refurbishing all the minor league teams as well as Dodger Stadium. They LEAD MLB every year in tickets sold. So the disconnect is with fans thinking they should get to and win the World Series every year, and newspaper writers like Plaschke that egg on all this negative talk. No one wants the Dodgers to win the World Series more than Kasten and Friedman!

      1. So he confirms what we all suspect. Kastens motive here is to label Boris as the reason he and his economic genius Dodger cohorts don’t ever obtain top talent. ” were good with Boris using us as leverage to get Coles contract escalated” . what a doushe! So Kasten understands our point of view as well! ” Kasten uses we the fans escalated ticket-parking-, concessions money to pocket it, and say He’s at the top of the league in player salaries”. I’m so sick and tired of hearing that were winning!!! Winning what? Where have the Dodgers won anything? Someone on here once said Kasten runs this org like a fascist dictatorship! The more I hear this conman speak, the more I believe that statement!! Go Lakers, if you guys want to see how a true winning org operates, look how and what they’ be done most recently. Dodgers are a futile empire being run by conmen! Dispicable!

    1. Since when are the apparent fans, WHO PAY THE BILLS, not to be considered’ I am a lidelong Dodger fan,, before when the Dodgers were leaving Brooklyn. I think what I have seen since Guggeheim took over is a sad representation of what an ownership group has done at the expense of THEIR owners. Kasten has proven by his words that he doesn’t care about the World Series. THAT’S NOT THE BRAND HE’S TRYING TO CULTIVATE. Friedman does what he’s told. If they should ever win of course they would be happy and could claim that their way was the correct way. BUt when they don’t win for another 30-40 years, the fans will be just as outraged as they are now. Fans would be happy for the occasional WS win. But 34 years is a freaking joke,Our only hope is that they sell the team after they have spruced everything up to someone (or some group) who wants to win it all and not just talk about it!

  3. The Dodgers, without Ryu, Hill, and Freeze, are not moving forward. They are moving backwards. They will obviously win the NL West, because nobody else can. Without a veteran starting pitcher addition, anything more is a longshot. It will be fun to watch May, Gonsolin, Urias, and Stripling get starts. By 2021 the rookies should be ready to compete for real. We’ll see.

    1. Bottom line. The Dodgers are not trying to win the championship. Loud and clear. Give the Dodgers Rob Pelinka with this money juggernaut, and the Dodgers win numerous championships. Go Lakers! Go L.A.

  4. The brass knows that eventually they will get one of the cheaper options to have a career year. They chose the cheaper Darvish over Verlander, and unfortunately cheating might be the only reason their gamble didnt pay off. But it set a precedent, when faced with being the top bidder the Dodgers always seem to pass. I will buy the Boras story, if Cole wanted to be a Yankee then there was no reason to allow the Dodgers to match. The confusing part to me is that if they value their prospects why are they always choosing to trade at the deadline rather than spend in the winter and keep their prospects? Boston fleeced them for a historic salary dump (and might do it again) and Houston swiped Yordan Alvarez. Also, their last 100 million dollar deal was to Greinke and it paid off.

  5. I just don’t get a lot of my fellow Dodger fans…you don’t take a team with a past POS owner who ran the Dodger into BK and turn it around, be competitive, (ok cheated out of a WS win) unless you have a plan…the plan…don’t overspend on Free Agents , build from within and Keep your own….I mean think about it …would you want to be a Frsco fan now…OK…rephrase…would you want the Dodgers to have played over their heads 10,8,6 years ago…and now be a near 100 loss team, with old overpaid players and no farm system????We just need Roberts to use his pitchers better….and a little better clutch hitting out of our stars….

    1. I actually agree with the build from within philosophy, and having a strong farm system. But when you draft and develop strong young players, you can develop a glut of a certain kind of player. In the case of the Dodgers, they have a glut of left handed hitters and need to trade one or two for some right handed balance. In the case of starting pitching, I think the Dodgers should have paid Ryu $20M/yr, but 4 years may have made it too long, given the injury history. So they lost him through free agency. If you lose a key player through free agency, why not replace him through free agency? But I would prefer to trade for a quality starting pitcher by trading some young talent. Talent from within your farm system not only fills holes on your big team, it allows you fill holes for which you do not have the right farm guy, but can trade for the right guy. But if you refuse to use FAs or trade any of your top prospects, you will have an unbalanced team for at least a year or two at any position that is currently lacking. The Dodgers need a starting pitcher. May, Gonsolin, and Urias won’t be fully ready for another year. It’s a short window of vulnerability that would be filled nicely by a guy like Clevinger, who has two more years of low salary control. The need for a right handed power hitter is more long term. The Dodgers need a guy with at least a couple years of control, and hopefully alot more. That’s why they supposedly went after Rendon. Four years would have been perfect for him. In the meantime, maybe the Dodgers could start drafting some right handed power hitters to prepare for the future. If you want to go all in on the farm system you need to plan to meet your needs a little bit better. And since nobody can perfectly plan everything, trades are made. BTW I was glad the Dodgers didn’t get Cole. He was way too expensive for way to long to fill a one year window of vulnerability. Trading for a one or two year control guy makes far more sense. By the end of two years, Josiah Gray could be ready to go too.

  6. The Lakers are the only team in L.A. that will keep winning championships! Thats their goal ultimately . The Dodgers are a overrated , fundamentally inept , progressive fantasy sports franchise run by Conmen! Their top advisor comes with a resume of Hanoi Jane and Ted Turner. Money, profit margin and aristocracy! Go see the Lakers guys, they are still in it for the fan base!!

  7. Well in 2009 a Yankee scout did a home visit to our house to visit my son. We live in the OC very close to Orange Lutheran HS where Cole went to HS. He told us that when he did a visit to Cole’s house he went up to Coles room and it was totally decorated with Yankee memorabilia. Cole has always loved the Yankees and always wanted to play for them.

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