Pitching Market Update After José Quintana, Jordan Montgomery Signings

Here is where things stand.

Oct 17, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Jose Quintana (62) pitches against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning during game four of the NLCS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Recently, the starting pitching market in free agency has moved a bit. Jose Quintana signed a one-year deal with the Colorado Rockies, while Jordan Montgomery went back to the Texas Rangers, signing his own one-year deal. These were some of the mid-tier arms on the market that were left unsigned heading into spring training.

Now, the market is shifting a bit. There are now fewer options available in free agency for teams still looking for rotation help, but there are still some that have been left unsigned up to this point. Here is an update on where things stand in the starting pitching market.

If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.

Update on pitching market after recent signings

Sep 26, 2025; San Diego, California, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zac Gallen (23) throws a pitch during the first inning against the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: David Frerker-Imagn Images | David Frerker-Imagn Images

Justin Verlander also signed yesterday, rejoining the Detroit Tigers on a one-year, $13 million contract, so that is another option that has come off the board. As far as mid-tier options go, still available are Griffin Canning, Chris Bassitt, Zack Littell, Tyler Anderson, Max Scherzer, Walker Buehler and others.

The top two remaining starters are Lucas Giolito and Zac Gallen, and there are still plenty of teams that need rotation help. Teams like the Atlanta Braves and Baltimore Orioles could benefit from a top-tier addition.

But the higher-end starters' markets may start to get more competitive now that more of the mid-tier options have come off the board. Scherzer has said that he is willing to wait until after Opening Day to sign if it means finding the right fit, so that might still take a while.

But spring training is already underway, so some other options could still come off the board. Even the higher-end starters may have to settle for short-term deals with opt-outs and high dollar values.

The market does appear to be moving a little more, so it may not be too long before some other options, possibly excluding Scherzer. Spring training games start next weekend, but it will still be interesting to see how the market plays out now that camp is underway.

The theme of the past couple of offseasons has been players often waiting until spring to sign and landing short-term deals, so that may end up being the case for a lot of the starters that are still on the market left unsigned after several months.

More MLB: Top 3 Teams Who Still Need Zac Gallen As Pitching Market Winds Down