Rays’ Blake Snell Hires Scott Boras as Agent Amid MLB, MLBPA Negotiations

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Blake Snell has left Apex Baseball and hired Scott Boras to be his agent, according to Ken Rosenthal and Josh Tolentino of The Athletic.

Per that report, Snell “declined to discuss specific details regarding his decision, saying his focus centered around his next contract and wanting to secure the best possible deal for his future. Adam Karon, managing partner of Apex Baseball, declined comment.”

The switch came not long after Snell said on a Twitch stream that he wasn’t in favor of MLB players taking another pay cut to return to play in a shortened 2020 season after already agreeing to a prorated pay scale in March. 

“I’m sorry you guys think differently, but the risk is way the hell higher and the amount of money I’m making is way lower,” he said. “Why would I think about doing that? … Y’all gotta understand, man, for me to go—for me to take a pay cut is not happening, because the risk is through the roof. It’s a shorter season, less pay.”

Several MLB players backed up Snell’s stance, including Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper and Colorado Rockies star Nolan Arenado.

“He ain’t lying, he’s right. He’s speaking the truth bro. I ain’t mad at him. Somebody’s gotta say it, at least he manned up and said it,” Harper said, per Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Good for him. I love Snell, the guy’s a beast. One of the best lefties in the game.”

“I think he was being honest, just being real. He made a lot of good points,” Arenado added, per Rosenthal. “There are some points he made that were true, that are facts. A lot of it gets misperceived. Trying to get the public to understand us, it’s not going to work very well in our favor.”

Snell, 27, was the 2018 American League Cy Young Award winner. Last season he had a down year, however, finishing 6-8 with a 4.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 147 strikeouts in 107 innings. Injuries limited him to just 23 starts. 

He is in the second year of a five-year, $50 million agreement that will take him through the 2023 season.