| Will Kyle Lohse land the big contract? His agent Scott Boras believes it will get done. (USATSI) |
Scott Boras is asking for three years and a "big" average annual value for one of his last remaining free-agent clients, starting pitcher Kyle Lohse, Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports reported Monday.
Lohse, who has a 3.05 ERA (122 ERA+) over the past two seasons, was expected by many to earn a contract paying in the $40-$75 million range over four seasons. But his market collapsed, at least partially thanks to the draft pick penalty attached to signing him after he turned down the qualifying offer from the Cardinals. He remains the only big-name free agent from this year's class left on the market.
As much as Boras wants a multi-year, big-money deal, chances of getting his wish in March seem limited. Multiple teams -- the Brewers, Red Sox, Yankees and Indians all in recent weeks -- have claimed they are not interested, and without some of the teams considered most likely to bid for Lohse's services entering the offseason already out of the picture, it's unclear who will bid Lohse's contract up to the point Boras is seeking.
Boras and Lohse could opt to take a "pillow contract," an expensive one-year deal (likely laced with incentives as well) aimed at positioning the pitcher for another shot at a long-term contract in next year's free-agent class. Boras has tried this technique with players in the past with varying results. Kevin Millwood and Edwin Jackson are two starting pitchers who have employed this tactic with success.
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