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Is Scott Boras The Secret To The Washington Nationals’ Success?

The Washington Nationals are contenders to win the 2012 World Series.  Take a second to think long and hard about that statement.  Since the Montreal Expos became the Washington Nationals in 2005, the team has never finished better than 3rd place in the National League East (in 2011).  From 2005-2010, only one time did the club finish better than dead last in the division.

There are many different explanations for the Nationals’ sudden success.  Even though Stephen Strasburg will be shut down for the remainder of the season and postseason, he has been instrumental in Washington’s surge.  And without Strasburg, the roster remains strong.  Mike Rizzo, as General Manager and Executive Vice President of baseball operations, is largely responsible for the club’s make-up, which includes high profile free agent signings and a willingness to open up the wallet with drafted players.  Certainly, the Nationals’ miserable overall records of years’ past put the team in a position to select players at the top of the MLB Draft and then provide them handsome compensation.

Strasburg went 15-6 with a 3.16 ERA this season.  Edwin Jackson has logged 163.2 innings and maintained a 3.63 ERA. Right fielder Jayson Werth has a .308 batting average and an .OPS of .854.  Danny Espinosa has performed well in the field with a .989 fielding percentage and has added 16 home runs on offense.  And of course there is Bryce Harper, the young prodigy who has 18 home runs, 13 stolen bases, and an .OPS of .785.  Rick Ankiel has performed well when needed, as has reliever Mike Gonzalez.

What do all of the aforementioned players have in common?  They are all represented by baseball agent Scott Boras.  If the Nationals win the World Series, does he deserve his own ring?

The Nationals and Scott Boras have such a tight relationship that earlier this year, the former media relations manager for the club left to join Boras Corp.  After Jayson Werth became a Washington National (agreeing to a 7-year, $126 million deal), Boras stated, “It’s an ownership that I thought did a very, very good job demonstrating that they’re going to step into this and make themselves into a competitive franchise.”  This from someone who is a master of leverage and rarely provides a public compliment for any organization.  A relationship between the Nationals and Boras that already appeared to be strong could become even tighter should the Nationals (with many Boras clients on the 25-man roster) win the World Series.

By Darren Heitner

Darren Adam Heitner, Esq., is a preeminent sports attorney and the founder of Heitner Legal, P.L.L.C., a Fort Lauderdale-based law firm specializing in sports law, contract negotiations, intellectual property, and arbitration. He earned his Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law in 2010 and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science, magna cum laude, from the University of Florida in 2007, where he was named Valedictorian of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Admitted to practice in the state bars of Florida, New York, and the District of Columbia, as well as multiple federal courts, Darren also serves as a certified arbitrator with the American Arbitration Association.

As an adjunct professor, Darren imparts his expertise through teaching Sports Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law and Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) at the University of Miami School of Law in the Entertainment, Arts, and Sports Law LL.M. program. His scholarly contributions include authoring several books published by the American Bar Association, such as How to Play the Game: What Every Sports Attorney Needs to Know, and numerous articles in prominent publications like Forbes, Inc. Magazine, and Above the Law. His thought leadership in NIL has earned him recognition as one of the foremost experts by The Wall Street Journal, USA TODAY, and On3, and he has been lauded as a “power player in NIL deals” by Action Network and a “top sports trademark attorney” by Sportico.

Darren’s passion for sports law led him to establish Sports Agent Blog on December 31, 2005, initially titled “I Want To Be A Sports Agent.” The platform, created as a New Year’s resolution, has grown into a cornerstone of the sports agency community, offering in-depth analysis of industry trends, legal disputes, and agent-player dynamics. His commitment to the field is further evidenced by his representation of numerous athletes and sports agents, as well as his prior role as an Adjunct Professor at Indiana University Bloomington, where he developed and taught a course on Sport Agency Management from 2011 to 2014.

Darren’s contributions have been recognized with prestigious honors, including the University of Florida’s 40 Under 40 Award, the University of Florida Levin College of Law’s Outstanding Young Alumnus Award, and designation as the best lawyer in Fort Lauderdale by Fort Lauderdale Magazine. He remains an active voice in the sports law community, sharing insights through his weekly NIL newsletter and his X posts, engaging a broad audience on legal developments in sports.