As the offseason approaches its one-month mark on December 1st, there are still plenty of big names available in MLB free agency. Former Texas Rangers left-hander Jordan Montgomery is an intriguing name to watch who may be flying under the starting pitcher’s radar.
As Jeff Passan reports, Montgomery could be one of the next starters off the market, signing before stars Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. His contract is expected to be in the range of $140 million, a decent number for a team with needs in the rotation that isn’t willing to hit the $200 million mark for Snell or Yamamoto.
Montgomery had his best season yet as a pro in 2023, posting career-highs in strikeouts, innings pitched and wins, starting 32 games for the second time in seven MLB seasons. After being traded to the Rangers in late July, Montgomery became a different pitcher and proved to be perhaps the best trade acquisition of the 2023 season.
In 11 regular season starts with Texas, Montgomery went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA, recording eight quality starts. He allowed one or no runs in six of those starts, including each of his last four to help the Rangers reach the playoffs.
Montgomery wasn’t done there though as he put together a phenomenal postseason en route to winning the World Series with the Rangers. His 2.90 ERA was the best among Rangers starters during the playoffs as he posted two shutouts and tossed 2.1 scoreless innings in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS.
A Texas-sized reunion?
Teams interested in Montgomery will have to battle the Rangers to get him, or maybe vice versa. Regardless, the Rangers want to bring Montgomery back, according to Passan.
It makes sense for both sides, especially considering the success Montgomery had upon his arrival in Texas. The Rangers have an intriguing situation with their rotation entering 2024 and retaining Montgomery would help diminish any worries that Texas may have about their rotation depth.
As it stands, the Rangers have five starters for their 2024 rotation without re-signing Montgomery, assuming Max Scherzer is healthy by Opening Day. Texas is also optimistic that Jacob deGrom will return at some point during the second half of the season as he recovers from Tommy John surgery.
The Rangers dealt with a plethora of injuries in the rotation last season as 10 different pitchers started a game for them, nine of which started at least six. That is part of the reason why they traded for Montgomery and Scherzer and a reason why they want a reunion with the former.
Jordan Montgomery won’t get the biggest contract of the offseason, but he will get life-changing money for himself and his family wherever he goes. The Rangers are the logical destination as Texas tries to run it back and defend its title in 2024.
