Scott Boras is considered by many to be the best sports agent in the world, but you could make the argument that he is not having his best offseason.
Part of an agent’s job is to aim as high as possible for his or her clients, and that is what Boras has always done. This winter was no different, as he entered the offseason seeking massive free-agent deals for some of the top players available. Those players ended up with nice salaries, but the market did not exactly take shape the way Boras had hoped it would.
Jordan Montgomery finally signed with a team on Tuesday. The Arizona Diamondbacks gave the left-handed pitcher $25 million for 2024 with a $25 million vesting option for 2025. Montgomery went 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA last season while pitching for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers. He was an ace in the postseason for Texas and had a 2.90 ERA over 31 postseason innings while helping Texas win the World Series.
Like Boras’ other top clients, the asking price for Montgomery was too high at the start of the offseason. Boras wanted massive long-term deals for Cody Bellinger, Blake Snell and Matt Chapman, but they all ended up taking short-term deals with high salaries as well.
Cody Bellinger wanted $200+ million and got $80 million
Matt Chapman wanted $150 million and got $54 million
Blake Snell wanted $270 million and got $62 million
Washed. pic.twitter.com/3X7SEhAb49
— YankeeWrld (@YankeeWRLD) March 19, 2024
Bellinger agreed to a 3-year, $80 million deal with the Chicago Cubs last month. Chapman signed with the San Francisco Giants on a 3-year, $54 million deal. The Giants also signed Snell to a 2-year, $62 million contract. All three players have opt-out clauses and are not committed to their new teams beyond the first season of their respective deals.
Boras’ top clients maintained flexibility, which seems to be the compromise. They can once again pursue massive contracts next offseason, but it will be interesting to see if the super-agent is able secure them.
