Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery’s free agency is over after he agreed to a one-year, $25 million deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. The deal includes a vesting player option for the second year.
Montgomery finished the 2023 Major League Baseball season with a 10-11 record and a 3.20 earned run average. He struck out 166 batters in 188.2 innings.
Jordan Montgomery is an Arizona Diamondback, agreeing to a one-year, $25 million contract that includes a vesting player option for a second season. Details, free and unlocked, at ESPN: https://t.co/cxFiw8XQM4
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) March 27, 2024
He started the season with the St. Louis Cardinals and finished with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts. Before the deadline, the Cardinals traded him and Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers for John King, Thomas Saggese, and Tekoah Roby.
His addition to the Rangers came at a perfect time. He had seven shutout innings against the Tampa Bay Rays in the American League Wild Card Round. Eventually, Montgomery helped the Rangers win its first World Series championship with a 2.90 ERA and three wins in six appearances.
The New York Yankees selected Jordan Montgomery in the fourth round of the June 2014 Amateur Draft. He made his MLB debut three years later, finishing with a 9-7 record in his rookie season.
Montgomery played five more seasons with the Yankees before they traded him for Harrison Bader, another player, and cash considerations in August 2022. That year, he had a 6-3 record and a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts for the Cardinals.
Jordan Montgomery has a career 38-34 record and a 3.68 ERA.
Meanwhile, his contract is another setback for agent Scott Boras. Only one of his clients, Jung Hoo Lee, signed a contract worth over $100 million (six years, $113 million) this offseason. Aside from Montgomery, reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell settled on a two-year, $62 million deal with the San Francisco Giants.
-Lance Fernandez