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World Series winner Jordan Montgomery says Scott Boras ‘butchered’ his free agency negotiations
By Andrew Buller-Russ,
1 day ago
After a career year where Jordan Montgomery helped the Texas Rangers win the World Series, Jordan Montgomery was in line for a massive payday. He was one of the best pitchers on the free agency market. Yet, for whatever reason, the 31-year-old left-handed starter didn’t sign a contract until March 29. This was two days after the regular season started, so Montgomery, getting a late start, was actually optioned to Triple-A to begin the year.
The late start didn’t help Montgomery begin his Arizona Diamondbacks career on the right foot, leading to a rollercoaster season where he enters MLB games today with an inflated 6.44 ERA. Making matters worse, Montgomery didn’t receive the type of contract offers he was anticipating, settling for a one-year, $25 million deal in Arizona. Now, he’s speaking up about what was a terrible free agency experience.
Jordan Montgomery fired Scott Boras for ‘butchering’ negotiations
Credit: Rhona Wise-USA TODAY Sports
Just two weeks after signing his contract with the Diamondbacks, Jordan Montgomery fired the agent who negotiated the deal, moving on from MLB super agent Scott Boras. Now, Montgomery isn’t shy about criticizing how Boras approached his negotiations.
“Obviously Boras kind of butchered it, so I’m just trying to move on from the offseason and try to forget it.”
Montgomery is right. There’s no way he shouldn’t have been able to land a long-term contract worth in excess of $100 million. But now he’s instead forced to continue proving his worth before having a chance to land another massive contract extension. But time could be running out for another big payday for the 31-year-old.
Now entrusting Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanok with his contract negotiations, all Montgomery can do is focus on his performance, hoping another team sees his potential. But Montgomery will have to start pitching better first. Montgomery does have a $25 million player option for next season, but at this point, it’s hard to imagine him landing a better offer this offseason.
Scott Boras responds to Montgomery’s critical comments
It didn’t take long for Scott Boras to respond to his former client’s criticism. Shortly after Jordan Montgomery said Boras “butchered” his free agency negotiations, the well-known sports agent had a reply of his own, but it wasn’t nearly as harsh. Yet, it’s still fascinating.
“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. 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.”
We’d love for Montgomery to give Boras the ‘green light’ so he can openly discuss exactly what happened. Chances are, Montgomery and Boras will work this one out privately, but baseball fans are curious to learn more too. Who knows if we’ll ever get any more clarity on the situation?
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