ANAHEIM -- With the Red Sox in Anaheim this week, it’s been a great time for Southern California-based agent Scott Boras to catch up with some of his top clients and longest acquaintances.

Xander Bogaerts and J.D. Martinez fit into the former category, while manager Alex Cora and game-planning coordinator Jason Varitek are grouped into the latter.

In fact, Boras went out to lunch with Cora prior to Tuesday’s game and later reflected on the origin of their relationship.

“You know, I’ve known Alex since he was 11 years old. We were at a game in Ponce and Cora’s father came by because he knew Bernie Williams,” said Boras. “He said to me, ‘I want my son to go to college. I said, ‘He will.”

Jose Manuel Cora died within a year to two of that conversation, but Alex did go the University of Miami and Boras represented him throughout his 14-year playing career.

Boras isn’t the least surprised that Cora is thriving in his managerial career.

“He just has such an instinct for the game and such great drive,” said Boras. “You ask Alex what his favorite art is and it would be Norman Rockwell’s pictures of baseball. You ask Alex what his favorite food is, I’m sure it would be something served at a ballpark. You ask him what his favorite entertainment is, I’m sure it’s pregame music or walkup songs. He’s 24/7 baseball for sure.”

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During their lunch, Boras second-guessed Cora for pitching to Shohei Ohtani with Monday night’s game on the line. Cora's gamble worked out, though, as Ohtani hit a hard groundout against Adam Ottavino to end the game.

“The thing about him is he knows so much about the game and why he does things,” said Boras. “The great thing about Alex is when he was a player he had to watch a lot of things. On the diamond, because of his skill level, he had to know why he did things. You know what, this guy always knows how to explain things.

“He always has a reason for doing things. We had lunch today and I said, ‘I would have walked Ohtani.’ He said, 'That’s why you do what you do and that’s why I do what I do.' Then he explained why and I said, ‘You’re exactly right. I’m a horrible manager.”’

The Bogaerts deal
The six-year, $120-million Boras negotiated with the Red Sox to keep Bogaerts in Boston was below market value. The shortstop was clear at the time that he wanted to get that deal done for peace of mind to know that his immediate future was secure in Boston.

However, Boras still found a way to position his client well in that deal, insisting on an opt-out clause after the ’22 season that should ensure Bogaerts gets paid his full value.

“Our job is to listen to our clients,” said Boras. “The one thing Xander did for me with that deal is, I said, 'I’ll go along with this with you but that opt-out [is a must] where we can take you and put you on the market really before most college players get there. The contract with [Anthony] Rendon, he was 30. Xander is going to be 29. He still has a very good bite at the apple at a very young age compared to most college players. I think he’ll be fine.”

As both a player and person, Boras gives Bogaerts a high rating. Cora has said many times this season that Bogaerts is the most consistent person in the entire Red Sox organization. Boras views Bogaerts in a similar way.

“Our algorithms are very different from what teams use,” said Boras. “For Xander, we have a component, it’s kind of a character/skill component. He has one of the highest grades in the Majors. There’s nothing about what Xander does that creates interference. He’s able to come with a focus and a smile and determination every day. That sounds rather simple, but when you’re middle of the lineup and you hit fourth for the Boston Red Sox ... you think about what he’s done really four of the last five years, he’s a rare Red Sox player.

“There’s some great players that you mention to meet that standard, so the fact that these last three years have been better just tells you … I mean, this guy doesn’t go home [to Aruba] in the offseason. He works out. He does all those things to be the best player he can be every day.”

J.D.’s rebound
Martinez was one of the many players around baseball who struggled mightily during the 60-game season of 2020 that was played during a global pandemic.

It was clear from almost the instant this season started that Martinez would bounce back. And when he was recently named to the All-Star team for the fourth time in his career, it was further proof of that.

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“I’m very happy that J.D. and six or seven other of my clients who were sluggers are back to their normal ways. Their routines are the same [as in previous years],” Boras said.

The contract Martinez signed with the Red Sox is even more out of the ordinary than Bogaerts' deal. It was a five-year deal in which Martinez had opt-outs after the 2019 and ’20 seasons, and another one this coming offseason.

Obviously Martinez didn’t have the leverage to opt out last year. It will be interesting to see what happens at the end of this season.

“All those things are a vision of the conclusion of the season. They’ve got some time to make that decision after they’re done with the season,” said Boras. “The Boston Red Sox, the strength of the team is that you have three players in this lineup who have a .900-plus OPS. Nobody in baseball has that.

“Obviously that’s J.D. and Xander and [Rafael] Devers being back to who they were in ’19. It allows an organization to view so many other positions and what they do for those differently. It’s really an amazing core of players.”