Texas Rangers Face Stiff Competition for Jordan Montgomery, 'Massive' Contract Likely
The signing of Yoshinobu Yamamoto hasn’t opened up the floodgates for starting pitching like many expected. Instead, the waiting game continues for the likes of Jordan Montgomery, Blake Snell and others.
The Texas Rangers remain highly interested in Montgomery, who was one of the many standouts in the World Series run. But the defending champs are hardly the only club pursuing the veteran left-hander.
And it could be some time until a destination is found.
Scott Boras, who represents both Montgomery and Snell, “may be keen” on taking his time to find homes for both lefties, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. That’s hardly out of character for Boras.
The free-agent market for Jordan Montgomery appears to be growing in terms of teams and contract size.
The New York Yankees, who offered Yamamoto $300 million before he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, are said to be after Montgomery. So are the Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Angels, among others, according to various reports.
MLB Trade Rumors called Montgomery and Snell the “clear best free agent starters remaining on the market,” while noting the differences between the southpaws. Montgomery, who turned 31 earlier this week, was cited for his career consistency, as well as his improvement last season. Per MLB Trade Rumors:
With that being said, Montgomery’s 2023 season saw him take a step forward in terms of his run-prevention numbers as the lefty posted a 3.20 ERA and 3.56 FIP across a career-high 188 2/3 innings of work, giving him the look of a potential front-of-the-rotation workhorse with a stable, middle-of-the-rotation floor.
The contracts Montgomery and Snell receive could be significantly different, as well. The MassLive.com report said Montgomery could command a “massive” deal. Snell, on the other hand, could be in line for shorter term, perhaps three years with multiple opt-outs, at a higher annual salary.
“Massive” might not necessarily work for the Rangers, who face some financial uncertainty stemming from their unresolved local television broadcast situation with Diamond Sports Group/Bally Sports. However, general manager Chris Young has said that the club is still willing to open up the checkbook for the right players.
The Opening Day rotation, as presently constructed, figures to include Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Dane Dunning and Andrew Heaney. Cody Bradford and prospects Owen White, Zak Kent and Cole Winn are also in the mix. The Rangers also expect to get Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer and offseason signee Tyler Mahle back from injury around midseason.
Bringing back Montgomery would give Texas a serious boost in its repeat chances. But it seems the Rangers will have to wait … and spend big.
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