According to recent reports, Jordan Montgomery, a veteran lefty, may be added by the Boston Red Sox.
The Boston Red Sox’s offseason has been characterized by disappointing inaction. But, as free agent pitcher Jordan Montgomery shows, those who are patient might reap good rewards.
The San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels are the front-runners for left-hander Blake Snell, and MLB team executives “widely believe” that Montgomery will “wind up with the Red Sox” in free agency, according to USA TODAY’s Bob Nightengale on Sunday.
Nightengale wrote, “The Red Sox have maintained constant contact with Montgomery, while the Rangers are keeping an eye on the possibility of owner Ray Davis suddenly changing his mind.”
Given that Boston removed Chris Sale from a rotation that finished 2023 with a combined 4.68 ERA (22nd in the majors) and a quality start percentage of just 27 percent (26th in MLB), Montgomery seems like a no-brainer addition.
In 2023, the 31-year-old left-hander pitched 188.2 innings for the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, recording a 3.20 ERA. After being traded to Texas in the middle of the season, he recorded a 2.79 ERA over 11 starts for the Rangers, and he was arguably the team’s best starter during its 2023 World Series run.
Furthermore, Montgomery worked out in the Boston area during the entire offseason while his wife was doing a residency at a nearby hospital.
Why is Montgomery not yet signed, then? The matter seems to be contract-related; in January, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported that Montgomery was looking for a deal that was higher than the seven-year, $172 million agreement Aaron Nola signed with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Additionally, reports from late February indicated the Red Sox were holding out for Montgomery’s price to drop.
The Red Sox do not exactly have a shortage of money; with a payroll of about $135 million, they currently have MLB’s 12th-highest payroll, a far cry from their days of lavish spending and title competition.
However, Red Sox CEO Sam Kennedy recently acknowledged that ownership has put “parameters” on the team’s spending, so perhaps Boston is waiting to make a move until Montgomery’s price drops even more before making a move.
But the Red Sox cannot afford to wait much longer, with the regular season less than a month away.
