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Agent Scott Boras, who now represents 20 percent of the Nationals' 40-man roster (and that's without counting Stephen Strasburg), was at Nationals Park today for a press conference introducing three of his clients the Nationals just signed: draft picks Anthony Rendon, Alex Meyer and Brian Goodwin.
And asked about the future of one of his clients - catcher Ivan Rodriguez - Boras, not surprisingly, said he thought the Nationals should resign the 39-year-old catcher.
"I think Pudge brings so much to a team," Boras said. "He and Stras have a very good relationship. Pudge has answers, because he's been in the league so long. And his answers are very, very refined and simple to a lot of players. He can go up to a lot of players and say, 'Look, I've been there, I've done that. Do this, do that. If you do this, this is what happens.' And the players believe it, because he's been in the league that long. I think there's tremendous value. I see pitchers - great young arms - come into the big leagues, and it's so difficult to develop them if there's not a veteran catcher, or if there's not a veteran No. 1 starter on the team."
So there you go. If Rodriguez did not return, of course, the Nationals would likely go into next year with Wilson Ramos and possibly Jesus Flores.
As for Rodriguez's return from a strained right oblique muscle, Boras acknowledge the catcher has probably pushed too fast.
"Pudge is not a man that has high regard for medical science," he said.
