Rangers Pitchers Jordan Montgomery Negatively Lament on Red Sox Proposal Towards…
The disappointing offseason for the Boston Red Sox has been characterized by aggravating inaction. But as pitcher Jordan Montgomery, a free agent, demonstrates, good things could come to those who wait.
According to Bob Nightengale of USA TODAY on Sunday, MLB team executives “widely believe” that Montgomery will “wind up with the Red Sox” in free agency. They also see the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels as the front-runners for left-hander Blake Snell.
“The Red Sox have kept in constant contact with Montgomery while the Rangers are keeping tabs if owner Ray Davis suddenly changes his mind,” writes Nightengale.
Boston, which is in dire need of a top-tier starter following the removal of Chris Sale from a rotation that finished 2023 with a collective 4.68 ERA (22nd in the majors) and a quality start rate of just 27 percent (26th in MLB), Montgomery appears to be an obvious choice.
Over 188.2 innings split between the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals in 2023, the 31-year-old left-hander produced a 3.20 ERA. He was perhaps the greatest starter for the Rangers throughout their run to win the 2023 World Series. Furthermore, Montgomery worked out in the Boston region during the whole offseason while his wife was doing a residency at a nearby hospital.
Why is Montgomery not yet signed, then? The problem 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 contract that 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.
Although they presently have the 12th-highest payroll in MLB at about $135 million, the Red Sox are by no means in financial straits—their days of blowing large money and contending for titles are long gone. Sam Kennedy, the CEO of the Red Sox, recently acknowledged that ownership has put “parameters” on the team’s spending, so perhaps Boston is expecting Montgomery’s contract will fall even lower.
However, a transaction needs to be completed as quickly as possible because the regular season is less than a month away.
