Jayson Werth retired at the end of June following a minor league stint with the Mariners. Yesterday he took to the airwaves, however, to talk about how his final offseason went and what he thinks of the state of baseball as he transitions into the role of “former player.” It was fairly entertaining to say the least.
Talking to Howard Eskin of WIP in Philly, Werth said that he had offers as a free agent last November but that his agent, Scott Boras, advised him not to take them. The decision in such matters is always ultimately up to the player, but Werth took Boras’ advice. That led to a winter of no calls from any teams at all, so Werth took matters into his own hands:
“Spring training came and went, and about halfway through spring training, I felt like I had been working all winter, I was ready to play. So I took matters into my own hands and I called every team [but one], and tried to get a job . . . the only team I didn’t call? The Mets. I wouldn’t play for them.”
Ouch to the Mets. Also ouch to Boras, who Werth fired after teams he spoke to told him that they hadn’t heard from Boras and assumed Werth did not want to play. Which . . . I would expect will lead to some sort of response from Boras today, but I suppose we’ll see. What I do know for sure is that Werth would not be the first non-top-tier player to suggest that Boras’ style does not suit them.
Werth went on to decry analytics and Ivy League-educated front offices. Those sorts are worthy of criticism, but he did not exactly cover new ground here, nor did he explain how the analytical bent of front offices did him, personally, and injustice. I wouldn’t expect a player in Werth’s position to say so, but there is not a reason to believe that there’s a place for him on the field at this point of his career.
That aside, it’s fun to see when a player does not go gentle into that good night.
