In the latest curveball of the Jordan Montgomery saga, the left-hander has dropped Scott Boras as his agent.
The decision, reported Thursday by ESPN, follows a slow-moving offseason in which Montgomery settled for a one-year, $25 million contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks in late March, just before the season began.
Montgomery will now be represented by Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock, according to ESPN.
The 31-year-old Montgomery was expected to fetch a fruitful, multi-year deal in free agency after posting career bests with a 3.20 ERA and 188.2 innings last season and starring in the Texas Rangers’ World Series run.
Instead, Montgomery became one of several big-name Boras clients who remained unsigned by spring training and ultimately accepted short-term deals, joining the Giants’ Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger and the Mets’ J.D. Martinez.
“We’ve had a dramatic difference in the competitiveness and aggressiveness of owners to win,” Boras said following Montgomery’s signing.
Montgomery’s contract includes a conditional 2025 player option that vests at $20 million with 10 starts. That salary increases to $25 million with 23 starts.
Snell, Chapman and Montgomery can also become free agents after the season due to opt-outs in their contracts, while Martinez signed a one-year deal. The Yankees’ Juan Soto and the Mets’ Pete Alonso are among Boras’ clients in line to hit free agency this offseason.
Montgomery, who spent parts of his first six MLB seasons with the Yankees, is 38-34 with a 3.68 ERA in his career, which also includes a short stint with the Cardinals. He is yet to appear in the majors in 2024 as he builds up his pitch count in the minor leagues.
The slow offseason, which included a cumulative decrease in spending across the MLB teams, contributed to unrest within the MLB Players Association, with some members calling for the ouster of deputy executive director Bruce Meyer.
