Getty The Yankees have been interested in reuniting with Jordan Montgomery this winter. It seems like the chances of that happening aren't good.
In an ideal scenario for the New York Yankees, Yoshinobu Yamamoto would be a member of their rotation right now. That’s not the case, though, as he’s joining Shohei Ohtani in California to play for the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, another hurler the Bombers have been interested in all winter is former Yankee Jordan Montgomery.
Even while New York was hot on Yamamoto’s tail, rumors of wanting a reunion with Montgomery emerged as early as November 23, per the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The southpaw just won a World Series with the Texas Rangers. Their offseason outlook has been up in the air because of potential issues with the club’s local television deal. Heyman noted on January 3 that Texas’ chances of re-signing Montgomery are getting better as those aforementioned issues are on their way to being resolved.
A separate report from NJ.com’s Randy Miller on January 4 says the same thing while adding more context. A source told Miller that there’s a growing sense within the Yankees’ organization that Montgomery will re-sign with the Rangers. He also shared a belief that Texas is the lefty’s first choice.
Montgomery Once Said ‘The Pinstripes Are Heavy’
There were some special circumstances around the 2022 trade deadline deal that sent Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. New York didn’t see the hurler as part of their postseason rotation, which is why general manager Brian Cashman felt comfortable pulling the trigger.
Is there any “bad blood” between Montgomery and the Yankees over the trade? The New York Post reported on October 27 that the hurler didn’t have any hard feelings about it. Whether that’s totally true or not, Monty has been open about the pressure involved with playing for a team like the Yankees, who boast a rich tradition rooted in winning.
During a September 2022 appearance on the R2C2 podcast, he said the following about being a Yankee and playing in New York:
“I was always worried about getting booed off the mound in New York. The pinstripes are heavy. Not everyone can handle it. I feel like I handled it OK. I could’ve been better, but there was a lot of things going into that I guess. But here [in St. Louis], I’m just being myself and pitching the way I want to. I guess the fans have kind of embraced me so far.
In that same clip, Montgomery specifically mentioned he wasn’t going to say anything bad about the Yankees because they were good to him for seven years. The lefty also said he thought he’d be a Yankee for life. Here’s a clip of those comments, which starts around the 1:35 mark.
We had to get @GumbyNation34’s raw reaction to the Yankees trade and how unleashing his fastball has led to early domination with the Cardinals. Full episode is live! 📺🎧
Yankees Need More Rotation Depth for 2024
On paper, it appeared as though the Yankees had decent starting rotation depth heading into the 2023-24 offseason. But thanks to a couple of moves, that perceived depth has taken a considerable hit.
After finishing 2023 on the restricted list, New York cut ties with Domingo German. Luis Severino and Frankie Montas have signed free-agent deals with the New York Mets and Cincinnati Reds, respectively.
There was no guarantee of those guys coming back. However, the Yankees’ trade for Trent Grisham and Juan Soto eliminated a lot of rotation options. That deal sent Michael King, Jhony Brito, Randy Vazquez and Drew Thorpe to the West Coast.
King twirled a 2.23 ERA in nine starts for the Yankees down the stretch. Brito and Vazquez each split time between Triple-A and the majors in 2023. Thorpe was a top pitching prospect within the organization, as well.
A slow-moving free-agent market still leaves plenty of opportunities for the Bombers to add to their 2024 rotation mix. But with Yamamoto in Los Angeles and Montgomery potentially going elsewhere, they may have to go with Plan C and D at this point.