Looking For Same In Jordan Montgomery Trade

When the Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world by getting right-handed Corbin Burns in free agency, the move gave them nearly unparalleled depth in the rotation: righty included Zac Gallen, Merrill KellyEduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon Pfaadtagain Ryne Nelson among the club’s starting options towards 2025. That kind of depth will create a lot of speculation about the possibility of a trade, and Arizona’s rotation has been no exception. Although the club reportedly did not come close to facing any of its bowls last week, it has gained momentum for its rotation throughout the winter.

In that group, Montgomery has long been seen as the most likely player to go. Lefty was signed in late spring by the Diamondbacks last year, and the deal didn’t go well for anyone. Montgomery struggled badly in his first season in the desert, pitching to a 6.23 ERA in 117 innings of work. His 4.48 FIP was significantly better than that top run prevention figure, although that was below average. Diamondbacks ownership went so far as to publicly criticize Montgomery shortly after the end of the 2024 season, so it’s no surprise that the Snakes have long seemed motivated to move the southpaw before his age-32 season. The addition of Burnes would at least open the door for Arizona to be comfortable enough with its rotation depth to consider working one of its other arms, but it makes sense that the club would still want to move Montgomery equally.

After such a poor 2024 campaign, it’s hard to imagine the Diamondbacks getting much value out of the lefty’s services in addition to some salary relief. Montgomery is expected to receive $22.5MM in 2025, a large sum that seems unlikely the club will be able to completely get off its books. That being said, the ever-increasing price of starting a merger makes the deal at least a bit sweeter than it might initially appear. After all, the Red Sox have confirmed the right-hander Walker Buehler $21.05MM for the 2025 season on the heels of a lackluster campaign in which he posted a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts. The Tigers, meanwhile, have confirmed the 37-year-old veteran Alex Cobb $15MM after the 2024 campaign in which he made just three regular seasons.

Both of those players had a lot of past success to lean on, but so did Montgomery. The lefty won a World Series with the Rangers in 2023, and in doing so completed a three-season stretch in which he posted a solid 3.48 ERA (120 ERA+) and 3.62 FIP over 94 starts. As long as the Diamondbacks don’t want to give something significant back, it’s easy to imagine they could shell out at least $15MM or more of Montgomery’s salary. Which teams would be in the best position to take one year of the dice on the left tackle? A look at the nine potential saviors, listed alphabetically within categories:

Best Fit

• Athletics: The OA have been aggressively looking to improve their club this winter, in part to try to avoid a complaint with the MLBPA over their use of revenue sharing dollars. They have already arrived Luis Severino again Jeffrey Springs their rotation this winter, but club brass have left the door open for a third acquisition this winter if the opportunity presents itself. Enter Montgomery, whose acquisition could push the club’s luxury tax bill up to $105MM, which he is reportedly targeting even if Arizona eats some of that money. If Montgomery can bounce back in 2025, he could join Severino, Springs, JP Searsagain Mitch Spence in a surprising turn in the club’s first season in West Sacramento.
• The brave: Atlanta has a clear need for rotation help after losing two Fried Max again Charlie Morton in free agency this winter, but the club has been unreasonably delayed in getting started this winter. That being said, Alex Anthopoulos’ front office has long shown a penchant for one-year extensions that come off seasons like these. Josh Donaldson again Marcell Ozuna. Arguably, that list also includes NL Cy Young award dominance Chris Sale as the lefty enters the final guaranteed year of his deal with Boston when the Braves traded him. The Montgomery trade wouldn’t have gone as well as the Sale one, but it’s easy to imagine the left-hander moving back into the Braves’ rotation alongside Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo Lópezagain Spencer Schwellenbach in 2025.
• White Sox: Chicago may look like a good fit for Montgomery, given the fact that they are coming off the worst season in MLB history with no hope of making a splash in the AL Central race next season. The fact that they are one of the more clearly rebuilding clubs in the game right now would make them a different contender for Montgomery’s resources. Their rotation mix is ​​filled to the brim with young arms that can look exciting but offer little assurance, so adding a veteran arm like Montgomery would make sense on all fronts. It’s possible that the White Sox, whose payroll RosterResource projects at $78MM in 2025, could absorb all of Montgomery’s salary in exchange for the opportunity from Arizona. If Montgomery plays well in the first half, Chicago could turn the lefty at the deadline for a little extra talent to continue the rebuild.

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• Astros: You might have thought the Astros were satisfied with their starting depth after the addition Hayden Wesneski in combining to Kyle Tucker trade and the right hand may accept Luis Garcia returned to the bullpen in time for Opening Day after missing the 2024 season with an injury. That being said, the club ditched them both Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy from the depth of your rotation this winter and are known to buy right-handed Ryan Pressly on the trade market this winter as we search for left-handed hitters. Arizona has a lot of lefty hitters and is known to look for late relief, so maybe there is a fit here involving a combination of Montgomery, Pressly, and a young Diamondbacks outfielder like. Alex Thomas.
• Sailors: Seattle could be seen as somewhat of a match for Montgomery’s services if the club makes the switch, but it seems likely that the club will trade the right-hander. Luis Castillo this winter. Doing so would leave the club with little rotation depth, however. In theory, it’s easy enough to imagine the Mariners dealing Castillo to another club for in-house help, then using the money saved from the deal to pivot toward acquiring Montgomery to retool the rotation. Mariners president of baseball Jerry Dipoto has shown a willingness to make similar trades in the past, and Mike Hazen’s Arizona front office has been one of his most frequent trade partners over the years.
• The Mets: The Mets are not in a position where they need to add another starter, with a rotation mix currently eight players deep. That being said, Montgomery’s salary won’t be too difficult for the Mets to spend big on, and David Stearns has shown a penchant for retooling projects. Given the Mets’ success in reviving the careers of Luis Severino and Sean Manaea last winter, it wouldn’t be surprising if the club found similar success by doing so with Montgomery.

Long Shots

• Lambs: The White Sox aren’t the only Chicago team that Montgomery can make up his mind about. The Cubs are known to be in the market for another starting pitcher, and are pursuing a lefty Jesus Luzardo Earlier this winter it shows a willingness on the club’s part to roll the dice on a pitcher coming off a down season like Montgomery. As mentioned, the club reportedly rejected a trade involving Montgomery once Cody Bellinger earlier this winter. Given the fact that the Cubs ended up trading Bellinger for a slightly higher salary last month, it stands to reason that Jed Hoyer’s front office has little interest in Montgomery’s services or at least prefers to open up that salary cap for other things. .
• Orioles: Baltimore would have appeared to be the better fit on paper for Montgomery’s services last week, but they recently added right-hander Charlie Morton to a 2025 contract. That won’t take them out of the trade market entirely, but it seems like Baltimore will only add to their rotation to bring a clear upgrade over their internal options. Given Montgomery’s down season, it’s hard to imagine the club feeling that way about him right now. After all, it’s the beginning of the fifth Dean Kremer posted a higher ERA+ than Montgomery in two of the last three seasons.
• Guardians: Montgomery was a key part of the Rangers’ 2023 World Series run, and the club seemed very interested in bringing back the left-hander last winter. Like Montgomery himself, the Rangers had a down year in 2024 and missed the playoffs. With Max Scherzer again Andrew Heaney now free agents, there may be room for a reunion in Texas’ rotation. That being said, the club seems determined to stay under the initial threshold for the luxury tax and has a handful of young starters to lean on in 2025 instead, like this one. Jack Leiter again Kumar Rocker.