Scott Boras did no favors for Ryan Madson

Don't make a deal with the Devil. Ryan Madson discovered that the hard way when he chose Scott Boras as his agent.

Madson was oh so close to signing his first "big" contract with the Phillies, but ended up settling on a 1-year deal. With this injury, he probably won't get a multi-year contract next year, either. Things most certainly did not work out for Mr. Madson.

But...

Madson is not a helpless victim. He knew exactly what he was getting into when he hired Scott Boras as his agent. Scott Boras is who you choose when your only goal is to sign for the biggest money possible, and Boras is willing to take big risks to get there. Sometimes it works like a charm. J.D. Drew sat out a season before signing a big contract. Matt Holliday signed a $120 million contract. Madson was hoping for the same outcome.

But sometime is backfires. It’s hard to tell what exactly happened during Madson’s negotiations with the Phillies, but I would imagine the Phillies were spooked by Boras. Maybe Boras verbally agreed to a contract and the Phillies didn’t trust him. Maybe Ruben Amaro just watched the scene in Moneyball where “Scott” screws over Billy Beane, who also thought he had agreed on a deal (Brad Pitt gives a great quote, too).

Boras has the reputation of playing a great game of chicken and waiting as long as it takes to get the deal he wants. The Phillies didn’t have the luxury to wait. They couldn’t afford to let Madson walk while someone grabbed Papelbon, so they made their move before it was too late.

Regardless of how it went down, Madson is left with no long-term contract, an injury, and a major surgery forthcoming. I feel bad for him personally, but it was his choice that put him in this position.

All I can say is I sure am glad we have Papelbon...