Jordan Montgomery and the Diamondbacks have come to an agreement for a one-year contract with a vesting player option for a second season.
The Deal
After a long-awaited offseason, Jeff Passan of ESPN has reported that SP Jordan Montgomery and the Arizona Diamondbacks have come to an agreement for one year worth $25 million. The deal also includes a $20 million vesting player option for a second season.
This was a surprising deal that nobody expected to happen. After all, Montgomery did face this Diamondbacks team last November in the World Series, in which he had defeated them. By the way it’s trending, Arizona may have set a rotation that no team wants to see come October. This team is motivated to make another huge playoff run in October this upcoming season.
In 2023, Montgomery pitched in 21 games with the St. Louis Cardinals and 11 games with the Texas Rangers. In those games, he posted a record of 10-11 with an ERA of 3.20. Even better, Montgomery exhibited even more dominance during the October run with Texas. In just six postseason appearances, he finished with a 3-1 record along with an ERA of 2.90 and 17 strikeouts. For sure, he was a difference maker for a Rangers team that won it all.
Montgomery will now join a stacked rotation that features right handers SP Zac Gallen, SP Merrill Kelly, SP Brandon Pfaadt, and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez who’s the other lefty as part of the rotation. That is a very fearsome group of five set up to win in the playoffs.
Why The Deal Could Work for Both Sides
It is clear that both Montgomery and the D-backs want to win it all in 2024. This could be the reason why both sides have come to an agreement. After all, Montgomery does have some pitching experience when it comes to playing in the west. He previously pitched for the Rangers in which he finished with a record of 4-2 with an ERA of 2.79 along with 58 strikeouts. Not much to see from Montgomery on the highlight reel, but he is still very much an effective pitcher.
Aside from those numbers he has put on display, he does have solid stuff in him. He doesn’t strikeout out a ton but he does get a lot of ground balls. Last season, he had a ground ball rate of 43.8, which ranked in the 57th percentile, according to Baseball Servant. In addition, he does keep the ball in the ballpark, which is another thing that makes him such an effective pitcher. During his time with Texas, he only allowed six home runs. Credit also goes to his former pitching coach Mike Maddux for turning into this good of a pitcher.
Another reason why this deal could work is due to the competition in the NL West. By signing someone like Jordan Montgomery, it gives Arizona a chance to compete with other teams such as the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants all of whom have been making some noise this offseason. Arizona had to find a way to answer back after all those teams mentioned made moves that can possibly help them contend in 2024.
Grading The Deal: A
The Diamondbacks deserve a lot of credit for this deal. They went out and sign a top-tier pitcher who’s been coming off a solid season in which he earned himself a World Series ring. Arizona looked aggressive and showed that they’re in win-now mode. By the looks of its Arizona has pretty much won the offseason if you looked at the talent they signed. Other than signing Montgomery, they also signed Eduardo Rodriguez, OF Lourdes Gurriel (re-signed), traded for 3B Eugenio Suarez, and signed DH Joe Pederson and OF Randal Grichuk to platoon together. Overall, this team deserves an A for this offseason.
Montgomery did not get the mega-deal he expected in October, but he will get the opportunity to try again next offseason. The player options vests if he makes ten starts, which is a very low bar to clear. That means he will likely opt out to pursue a long-term deal, but if he struggles in 2024, he can return to Arizona in 2025. Instead of reuniting with the New York Yankees or the Rangers, Montgomery hopes to bring his World Series opponent back to the Fall Classic.
