Scott Boras thought he was prepared when A.J. Preller called him around Thanksgiving. In front of him sat a list of available players who might fulfill the San Diego Padres' perceived needs, most of them first basemen and corner outfielders. Then Preller, the Padres' ninth-year general manager, began to talk about high-priced shortstop Xander Bogaerts and how he would fit into a roster that already possessed two premier players at his position. Boras, the sport's most prominent agent, was stunned.
"When I got off the phone, I went to our staff and I said, 'We have to do a better job of understanding how A.