Getty Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Jordan Montgomery.
Jordan Montgomery has fired agent Scott Boras and replaced him with Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock.
The Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander was one of four Boras clients – tabbed “The Boras Four” — who signed smaller contracts in free agency than expected. Like Montgomery, three other high-profile players – San Francisco Giants left-hander Blake Snell and third baseman Matt Chapman and Chicago Cubs center fielder Cody Bellinger – did not come to terms with their teams until spring training.
Montgomery settled for a one-year, $25-million contract with the Diamondbacks that includes a vesting option for 2025. Because he did not sign until March 26 and missed spring training, Montgomery is currently with Arizona’s Triple-A Reno farm club where he is building arm strength.
ESPN.com’s Kiley McDaniel first reported the agent switch.
Jordan Montgomery Gets Less Than Expected
Montgomery was expected to land a nine-figure contract on the open market after helping the Texas Rangers win their first World Series title in franchise history last fall. FanGraphs projected the 31-year-old to land a five-year, $105-million deal.
The Rangers acquired Montgomery in a trade last July 30 and he went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA in 11 regular-season starts. During the postseason, he had a 3-1 record and 2.90 ERA in six games, including five starts, and beat the Houston Astros twice in the American League Championship Series.
Jordan Montgomery showed out in the first game of the #postseason. 🔥
Yet Montgomery lingered on the market until agreeing to terms with the Diamondbacks just two days before their season opener.
The option for next year vests at $20 million if he starts 10 times and escalates to $25 million at 23 starts. Montgomery can decline the option and try free agency again next winter.
The Diamondbacks have penciled Montgomery in for his season debut on April 19 at San Francisco. In his one start for Reno, he allowed two runs in four innings.
The Diamondbacks made a surprise run to the National League pennant last season despite an 84-78 regular-season record. They lost to the Rangers in the World Series in five games then added lefty Eduardo Rodriguez as a free agent in the offseason to join rotation stalwarts Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.
Other Scott Boras Clients Take Short-Term Deals
The rest of the Boras Four also signed contracts that enable them to opt-out after this season.
Bellinger agreed to the longest deal at three years and $80 million. He also has an opt-out clause following the 2025 season.
The Giants signed Snell to a two-year, $62-million deal and Chapman for $54 million over three years.
Blake Snell signs with the Giants on a short-term deal
Snell won the NL Cy Young Award with the San Diego Padres last season. Bellinger was the NL Comeback Player of the Year with the Cubs. Playing for the Toronto Blue Jays, Chapman won the fourth Gold Glove of his seven-year career.
Boras attributed the slow market to various factors during Montgomery’s introductory press conference with the Diamondbacks on March 28. Among them were normal market fluctuations and teams’ uncertainty about how much revenue they would receive from regional sports networks this year.
“We’ve had a dramatic difference in the competitiveness and aggressiveness of owners to win,” Boras said.