Scott Boras loses 1 top client

Mar 2, 2019; Clearwater, FL, USA; Bryce Harper agent Scott Boras speaks as they formally introduce right fielder Bryce Harper (3) as a Philadelphia Phillie at Spectrum Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Top MLB agent Scott Boras was left scrambling this offseason when four of his top clients were forced to take short-term deals late in the offseason after their long-term ambitions went unfulfilled. Now, one of those four players is getting new representation.

Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery dropped Boras as his agent and is replacing him with Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock, according to Kiley McDaniel of ESPN. The move comes after Montgomery signed a one-year deal with Arizona on March 26 despite being one of the top starting pitchers on the market.

LHP Jordan Montgomery has hired Wasserman’s Joel Wolfe & Nick Chanock as his agents, per sources.

Montgomery was one of the Boras Four, who were unsigned late into free agency.

I projected he would get 5 yrs, $106M and he eventually signed for 1 yr, $25M w/Arizona on March 26.

— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) April 11, 2024

It is hard not to see this as a direct response to Boras’ inability to get Montgomery a long-term deal. He and another Boras client, Blake Snell, both wanted multi-year contracts, and both had to settle for short-term deals with opt-outs, or a one-year pact in Montgomery’s case. Montgomery may well believe that Boras botched his free agency and should have adapted sooner to the slow-developing market.

Four Boras clients wound up taking short-term deals late in the offseason after holding out for something bigger. That has prompted a lot of criticism for the agent, and it may have cost him at least one high-profile client.