Scott Boras: Interest in Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery has increased

Agent Scott Boras said that in the last week alone, four new teams have inquired about free-agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

Scottsdale – Agent scott boras Monday said that in the past week alone, four new teams have inquired about free-agent pitchers Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. The extent of their interest is unknown, as are teams, but Boras said that as the need for pitchers grows, so does the demand for those players.

“There is nervousness among pitchers in baseball,” Boras said. “We have a lot of starting pitchers that are committed right now. Maybe short-term. Some long-term. And the requests for specific starters are starting to go up.

“For many clubs at this time, the competitiveness of their season is in jeopardy because of the pitching problem.”

Boras spoke at a press conference to introduce new San Francisco Giants third baseman Matt Chapman. Chapman, 30, signed a three-year, $54 million contract over the weekend that includes an opt-out after each of the first two years. It’s a similar deal to another Boras client, Cody Bellinger, who signed three years and two exit options with the Chicago Cubs last week. Both deals were finalized after the start of spring training.

“It was definitely a weird market this year and the free agency process was a little unusual,” Chapman said. “Our goal was to get a long-term contract that we felt was worth it, and if not, get a short-term contract with exit options and bet on ourselves.”

Chapman cited a finger sprain he suffered while playing with the Toronto Blue Jays last year that may have affected his offense and subsequent marketability. His OPS-plus of 108 was the second lowest mark of his career.

Chapman added, “It wasn’t the strongest year in some people’s eyes.” “So I wanted to make sure that if I’m going to do something long-term, I’m going to get what it’s worth.”

Bellinger recently expressed similar sentiments, and for the second week in a row, his agent cited variations in the market as why it took so long to sign some players. He saw a reduction in spending between eight and 12 teams.

But the fact is, free agents like Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Lee Jung-hoo, another Boras Giants prospect, signed lucrative deals this winter. Jung-hoo signed a six-year contract worth $113 million. The money has been spent, but not yet on his two available pitchers.

“I’ve had two teams change their minds about what they want to do,” Boras said. “You feel it’s true because we’re in spring training.

“People think you get a lot of phone calls and you turn down a lot of things. When you deal with specific players, they have specific prices. You don’t get a lot of phone calls. Really. , you get almost nothing every month.

“When the need arises, suddenly you get a call because they have decided to consider acquiring a specific talent. Only then do you have things to consider and evaluate. I do not offer contracts, Teams do. Nothing is known about it until needed.”

Of course, deals have been made for players throughout the winter, presumably when teams feel they need them. It appears Boras is looking forward to the next round of interest, which he says is happening now.

“The owners look for multiple routes until there are no other ways to travel,” Boras said. “It takes time. They get deep into it. They try all different methods to avoid the obvious.”

The longtime agent indicated he understands fans’ confusion, given that Opening Day is a few weeks away and talented players remain unsigned.

“Why wasn’t this done in November?” Boras asked rhetorically. “Why aren’t number one pitchers signed?”.

Boras did not disclose whether he was seeking the same type of contracts (shorter term with exit options) for Snell and Montgomery that he negotiated for Chapman and Bellinger. And unlike Bellinger, he said Chapman had options.

“Matt could have gotten a long-term contract,” Boras said. “He could have gotten a lot more guaranteed money. But Matt Chapman chose a path where he bet on himself.”

The California native, who played for the Oakland Athletics from 2017 to 2021, was asked if he could return to Toronto.

He responded, “It was the best opportunity I ever had.” “It ticked all the boxes. I enjoyed my time in Toronto, but this was the best opportunity I had. It was the most meaningful.”​