Jordan Montgomery, the last big unsigned name of this MLB free agent class, has reportedly found a new team.
Montgomery, who won a World Series in 2023 pitching with the Texas Rangers, will be joining the team his Rangers beat in the Fall Classic, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Montgomery and the Diamondbacks had agreed to terms. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the terms, that it was a one-year deal that “includes vesting option for second year.”
BREAKING: Left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks are in agreement on a free agent deal, pending physical, a source tells ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 27, 2024
Free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery in agreement with Diamondbacks, pending physical. Deal will pay him $25M this season, includes vesting player option for second year. First with agreement: @JeffPassan
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 27, 2024
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com detailed the terms on the vesting option.
“If Montgomery starts 10 games this year, his 2025 contract option will vest at $20 million. If he makes 18 starts the vesting option is worth $22.5 million, and if he makes 23 starts or more it vests at $25 million.”
The contract drew two distinct reactions.
There was a general feeling that this deal was far below Montgomery’s value, another hit on what’s been a rough offseason for Scott Boras, Montgomery’s agent. And with that, there was a lot of questioning why other teams didn’t end up signing Montgomery.
Jordan Montgomery signs for same AAV as Sonny Gray, shorter term, less of a guarantee.
Looks like a miss for many teams, including #stlcards. https://t.co/4qFu9P1bS2
— Derrick Goold (@dgoold) March 27, 2024
No such thing as a bad one-year contact, Twins https://t.co/w0oJxDhUHD
— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) March 27, 2024
Jordan Montgomery was supposedly aiming to top Aaron Nola's 7-year $172 million deal and ended up with this. https://t.co/8DP5k9Hvgm
— Codify (@CodifyBaseball) March 27, 2024
Jordan Montgomery got $25 million
Matt Chapman got $54 million
Blake Snell got $62 million
Cody Bellinger got $80 million
Common denominator: Scott Boras pic.twitter.com/tpg7xndqKc
— Jake (@MarkPriorRBW) March 27, 2024
Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery: two left-handers coming off career years, and combined, they received about $50 million less in guaranteed money than Tyler Glasnow.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) March 27, 2024
There's no point complaining about the Red Sox not spending, but my god, 2-$50 for Montgomery is nothing. Would've helped this year without hampering future "flexibility," since that's the priority.
— John Tomase (@jtomase) March 27, 2024
Montgomery spent the 2023 season pitching with the Rangers and before that, the St. Louis Cardinals. Between the two teams, he posted a 3.20 ERA with a 1.193 WHIP, while striking out 166 hitters in 188.2 innings. He posted a 3-1 record in the postseason and was particularly effective during the American League Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays and the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
Montgomery appeared once in the series against Tampa, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing six hits with five strikeouts in a Game 1 win. Against Houston, Montgomery made two starts and three appearances. Over 14 innings, he posted a 1.29 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, struck out 10 batters and went 2-0. That included a Game 7 win.
[Jeff Passan on Twitter/X, Ken Rosenthal on Twitter/X, Steve Gilbert, MLB.com]
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