DALLAS — Scott Boras wiggled his way through the crowd to his spot, stepping atop the camera box on the ground so he could have a good view of the hundreds of reporters surrounding him.

Each year at MLB’s winter meetings, Boras holds court — answering questions about his clients, pontificating about the state of free agency and delivering his corny puns. Boras, the mega-agent who has become more famous than most of his clients, has several clients on the Orioles, including Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg and Jackson Holliday. He also represents outfielder Tyler O’Neill, whom Baltimore signed Saturday, and former Orioles ace Corbin Burnes, the last remaining elite starting pitcher on the market.

In the past, the Orioles would’ve had no chance to sign Burnes and they wouldn’t have been interested in giving O’Neill $49.5 million when John Angelos was the club’s CEO and Chairman. With owner David Rubenstein, though, that’s changed.

Boras said Wednesday that the Orioles have been more aggressive so far this offseason, Rubenstein’s first as Baltimore’s owner.

“With O’Neill, they kind of jumped the market in that regard,” Boras said in the lobby of the Hilton Anatole Hotel. “We’ve been in very close contact with [general manager] Mike Elias, talking to him regularly. He’s made it very clear that under this ownership they’re going to take steps forward that they haven’t taken in the past.”

Earlier this offseason, Rubenstein, 75, told NPR that he wants to “speed up the effort to get a World Series” because of his age. The Orioles have yet to make a splash this offseason, but the multiyear contract given to O’Neill is the first handed out by the club since Elias took over in November 2018.

“Without winning a World Series or a championship, it won’t be satisfying, so I’m trying to do everything I can with my partners to make sure that the team has everything it needs to win a championship,” Rubenstein said in October. “I’m now 75 years old. It’s unlikely that I’ll be doing this for 20 more years. So I’ve got to speed up the effort to get a World Series a lot sooner than maybe some younger owners would.”

Manager Brandon Hyde said Tuesday that Rubenstein’s ownership has brought a “breath of fresh air” to the organization.

“These guys have been incredible to us and very uplifting and really invested in our team and want to know what’s going on,” Hyde said. “It’s been extremely positive so far.”

The Orioles have operated bottom-five payrolls in every season under Elias, but that could change in 2025. Elias expects that to be the case, though he’s reluctant to make any guarantees about payroll.

Elias said Tuesday that the nearly $60 million he’s already handed out this offseason for O’Neill and catcher Gary Sánchez is an example of the steady increase in payroll over the past few years. Baltimore spent about $60 million on its major league payroll in 2023 and that jumped to $95.3 million to begin 2024.

“We’ve done a lot of things leading to increased spending, and it’s been pretty continual the last few years, but this is another step forward,” Elias said. “The rebuild, emerging from that, having all the infrastructure in place, the farm system in place — now we’re focusing on the major league payroll. We’re having winning seasons, the fans are coming back. But, obviously, the robust, new ownership group that’s taken over are extremely supportive.

“We identified a need with Tyler O’Neill and Gary Sánchez in a market with a lot of competition and a lot of buyers and not a lot of right-handed outfielders and not a lot of catchers of major league quality. So we were able to attack those needs pretty aggressively, and I credit their support in that. It’s something I hope we’ll see more and more and more of as the years go.”

Boras was asked several times about Burnes and how aggressive teams are to sign the ace.

“For pitching, Corbin Burnes is kind of like Elvis. He’s got that Burnesing love for a No. 1 starter,” Boras quipped. “You are really feeling it today, and very early this morning for me, I might add.”

Burnes was a Cy Young Award candidate in his first season in Baltimore after the Orioles acquired him from the Milwaukee Brewers in February. He was as advertised, winning 15 games, posting a 2.92 ERA and pitching 194 1/3 innings. When asked if Burnes is open to returning to Baltimore, Boras said: “Corbin is open to listening to every team.”

Boras wouldn’t answer questions about the record $765 million contract Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed to Sunday. However, Boras was asked about whether Soto’s contract could push other young superstars — like Orioles shortstop Gunnar Henderson — to wait for free agency rather than sign early extensions.

“I think that adage is something that yours truly has been talking about for a long time with select players,” Boras said. “And in situations, there’s a lot of players that have benefited from signing early, too. They were in the right place at the right time. So it really depends on the individual.”

Is Gunnar Henderson one of those “select players”?

“That would be something that Gunnar has to define over time where he’s playing. Certainly, skill-wise, he is already one of the elite young players in the game.”

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