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Scott Boras is one of the most powerful men in sports, but Jordan Montgomery isn’t afraid to say when his former agent messed up.
The Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher is enduring a lost season, pitching to a 6.44 ERA and spending a month on the Injured List in 2024. That’s after he went 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in the postseason last year, helping deliver the Texas Rangers their first World Series championship.
The team the Rangers defeated in the Fall Classic gave him a one-year deal worth $25 million with a vesting option for a second year that is on pace to give him another $22.5 million. Not a bad haul, but it’s not what could have been.
Montgomery was interested in joining the Boston Red Sox in the offseason, staying in the American League and helping the arch-rival of the New York Yankees — the team that traded him at the deadline two years ago when they thought there wouldn’t be a place for him in their postseason rotation.
“Me and my wife loved it here,” Montgomery told Mac Cerullo of the Boston Herald. “She was at Beth Israel for a year, love the area, love the fans. It would have been awesome if it had worked out that way, but it didn’t.”
The deal never materializing, Montgomery believes, is on Boras.
“I had a Zoom call with [the Red Sox], that’s really all I know. It went good,” he said. “I don’t know, obviously Boras kind of butchered it, so I’m just trying to move on from the offseason and try to forget it.”
Jordan Montgomery Fired Scott Boras in the Offseason
Boras represented four big-name free agent starting pitchers last year, and as Cerullo points out, all four took months to sign and, when they finally caught on somewhere, settled for short-term deals that paid them less than they hoped.
Montgomery fired Boras after signing with Arizona and is now a Wasserman client.
“I saw what Jordan said. I know what it is to be frustrated with this game. As a former player I feel for him. But I’m also a lawyer with obligations to my clients, including former ones. So I cannot discuss what happened or the decisions Jordan made unless he gives me permission,” Boras told the Herald in a statement. “If he gives me the green light I’ll be happy to talk about it. I’ve been doing this for over 35 years. I relay all offers and relevant information to all my clients and act at their direction. They make all decisions. We wish Jordan well.”
With Montgomery’s vesting option contingent on the number of starts he makes, he’s guaranteed another year to try and right the ship from a season in which he’s saddled to a -1.5 bWar. He’ll hit free agency again after his age 32 season and if he can return to his old self (he entered the season with a career 3.68 ERA), he can still land another lucrative payday.
Montgomery’s Move to the Bullpen Cost Him Money
Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said on Friday that Montgomery would pitch out of the bullpen moving forward, with Ryne Nelson earning his spot in the rotation. It’s hard to argue with Lovullo; Nelson has been the better pitcher this year. He’s 9-6 with a 4.29 ERA and a 1.277 WHIP.
The Diamondbacks are fighting for a playoff spot and it’s Lovullo’s responsibility to win games. It’s also a move, however, that will cost Montgomery money.
Montgomery has made 19 starts as of August 24. That is beyond the 18-start threshold his contract sets for his 2025 option to vest at $22.5 million. If he starts 23 games, however, his salary goes up to $25 million. Even if Montgomery is electric out of the bullpen (he’s made one relief appearance in his career coming into the season), he’s going to miss out on money because of it.
The other way of looking at it is that he will have the opportunity to get back on track over the final month of the season. If he is effective and can carry that momentum into 2025, then he’ll be in-line for a bigger payday next offseason. That would net him more than the $2.5 million he’s missing out on for next year.
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