By Tom Haudricourt of the Journal Sentinel
Washington - Agent Scott Boras said Thursday the Brewers should have shown rookie right-hander Zach Davies more respect than to send him to the minors for 10 days to open a spot for an additional bench player.
On Wednesday morning, the Brewers optioned Davies to Class AAA Colorado Springs to open a roster spot to add first baseman/outfielder Andy Wilkins from that club. The Brewers had been playing short-handed on the bench while carrying eight relief pitchers for several weeks.
Davies was the winning pitcher the previous night in a 5-2 victory over Washington, boosting his record to 6-4 with a 4.10 ERA in 15 starts since coming up from the Sky Sox in mid-April. That includes a 6-1 mark and 3.24 ERA over his last 12 outings.
In sending down Davies, the Brewers said he would not pitch for Colorado Springs, which also enters an all-star break after play Sunday. Players must remain in the minors for 10 days when optioned, so Davies will be recalled to pitch for the Brewers on the third day after the break in Cincinnati.
Davies does lose 10 days of major-league service time as well as about $24,000 in salary with the demotion. Boras, who represents Davies, said the pitcher did not deserve those penalties.
Davies was guarded in comments to reporters after receiving the news, merely saying, "Baseball is a business."
"In this game, performance earns respect," Boras said. "After beating one of the best teams in the National League, he was told he no longer was a member of the team.
"It's disrespect for someone who will be a principal part of the organization for years to come, to add a bench player for 10 days. Not exactly a valued ethic. In this game, teams do not send down starting pitchers who are performing well."
Brewers general manager David Stearns said he meant no disrespect to Davies in making the player move. Stearns said the major goal was to provide another bat for the bench during a period in which Davies would not have pitched for the Brewers.
"We certainly value Zach's contributions to the club and consider him an important part of our starting rotation," Stearns said. "Given that he wasn't scheduled to pitch for a 10-day stretch, we wanted the extra flexibility of another player on the bench."
Don't mess with Scott Boras or his clients. That is lesson number one when dealing with the most successful agent the sport has seen. Brewers GM David Stearns apparently did just that by sending down very promising starting pitcher Zach Davies right before the All-Star break. Davies is a client of Boras' and also happens to be the best adolescent pitcher in the game. He is just moments away from finally being able to eat an entire bowl of Cherrios and having a voice that no longer cracks every eighth word. Unfortunately, he won't be on the team when that time comes. Boras holds grudges and he will not forget the way the Brewers "disrespected" his client. They essentially put back on the training wheels that little Zach had recently shed from his shiny red Huffy bike, by bringing him back to Triple A. This should be a non-issue, he is not even going to pitch in Triple A and this clearly has no impact on his big league roster spot. But you can bet Scott Boras took mental notes on this and is ready to make both the Brewers and Stearns' life a living hell when he is eligible for free agency.
This makes me mad, I know the Brewers are going to be bad for a couple years but they are not as far off as I expected them to be. Davies is flashing some serious potential and pitching is the driving force behind a successful big league club. The Brewers are not exactly wealthy when it comes to the pitching they possess. More importantly, I want to be able to experience Davies first little hair on his chin or armpit, and I want that to be in a Brewer uniform! Please Mr. Boras, find some sympathy in your cold heart for the Milwaukee Brewers, and don't be a complete dick when negotiation time comes.