Getty Jordan Montgomery
Former-San Diego Padres ace Blake Snell finally agreed to a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants on March 19, leaving free agent Jordan Montgomery as the top starter available on the market. At the start of the offseason, few would’ve predicted Montgomery would still be unsigned this close to Opening Day, and if Texas Rangers‘ manager Bruce Bochy has anything to do with it, Montgomery won’t be left on the shelf for much longer.
On March 19, Bochy told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman that “there’s been a lot of discussions” about the Rangers bringing Montgomery back to Texas, though he conceded that “these decisions aren’t made by me.”
“Who wouldn’t like to have a Montgomery? What a great teammate along with a tremendous pitcher,” Bochy told Heyman. “It’s pretty close to the staff we had last year. It is very, very close, and it worked last year. We added a tremendous guy in Montgomery, who helped lead the way.”
Last season, Montgomery made 32 regular-season starts between the St. Louis Cardinals and Rangers, recording a 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 166 strikeouts. He made six appearances (five starts) during the Rangers’ playoff campaign, posting a 2.90 ERA with 17 strikeouts — including seven shutout innings in the Wild Card Series — to help the team win their first World Series title in franchise history.
Admittedly, the Rangers may not need to add another starter. On March 21, the team signed Michael Lorenzen on a one-year, $4.5 million contract with $2.5 million in incentives, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, meaning another addition may not be on the table.
Still, a reunion with Montgomery could be a game-changer for Texas, and it’s clear Bochy knows it.
Montgomery’s Projected Contract Value
At the start of the offseason, Tim Dierkes, Anthony Franco, and Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors projected Montgomery would land a six-year, $150 million deal out of free agency, and ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel predicted he would secure a five-year, $106 million contract. On January 4, executives and agents who spoke to the NY Post’s Joel Sherman reported that Montgomery was “aiming to top the $172 million that Aaron Nola received from the Phillies.”
With less than a week until Opening Day, the ship has likely sailed on a long-term deal. Snell’s recent two-year, $62 million contract with the Giants proves that a high-value, short-term deal is still very possible at this late stage, but Montgomery’s options are dwindling and a compromise is going to have be made if he wants to find a team before March 28.
Rangers’ Starting Rotation
On February 8, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reported that Montgomery was “destined for a reunion with the Rangers if the two sides can agree on a number,” but the link cooled off after general manager Chris Young said there were unlikely to be any further additions to the team on February 14, per MLB Trade Rumors.
Still, it’s hard to deny that Texas could use Montgomery on the mound, especially as they try to back up last season’s World Series victory, and as Opening Day nears, a reunion certainly seems possible.
The Rangers are going into 2024 with a starting rotation of Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, Dane Dunning, and Cody Bradford, with recently-acquired Lorenzen likely used as depth or an alternate for Bradford. Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer, and recently-added Tyler Mahle will all start the season on the IL, so while the team’s rotation will get a significant boost when their stars return during the year, the Rangers are effectively just trying to make the best of a bad situation until then.
While the Rangers are not a team to shy away from spending big on top players, it’s unlikely a deal with Montgomery will get done at this late stage without significant compromise on the starter’s part. If Montgomery is open to a short-term contract similar to Snell’s — though likely significantly less valuable — the Rangers would almost certainly have trouble turning it down, if for nothing other than security in the rotation until deGrom, Scherzer, or Mahle return.
After all, Young is very aware of how important Montgomery was to the Rangers’ playoff campaign last season.
“Monty played a tremendous role for our team and was a huge reason why we won the World Series,” Young told Heyman on March 19. “And we’ll certainly forever be grateful for his contributions to the Rangers and his place in Rangers history.”