Texas Rangers Could Revive Career of Polarizing Pitcher with Reuniting Trade

In 2023, the Texas Rangers shocked the world when they made it to the World Series, eventually winning over the Arizona Diamondbacks for the first championship in the franchise's history.

In 2024, in classic Bruce Bochy fashion, the Rangers missed out on the playoffs altogether with a 78-84 record.

The club looks to stay much healthier in 2025 than they were in 2024, which would go a long way toward helping them climb back into the playoff picture. Plus they will have the help of Bochy's odd "every other year" magic.

Another step the club could take in returning to the postseason would be reuniting with veteran starter Jordan Montgomery in a trade with the Diamondbacks.

After winning the World Series with Texas, Montgomery entered free agency, eventually signing with Arizona on March 26. Opening Day came only two days later, so Montgomery would not make his debut until April 19, though even being that soon meant that his time to prepare was expedited.

It led to the worst season of the veteran's career, pitching to a 6.23 ERA across 117 innings in 25 games with 83 strikeouts and a 67 ERA+. The Diamondbacks openly regretted signing Montgomery, with principal owner Ken Kendrick even stating publicly that signing the veteran was "a horrible decision."

Arizona has since signed ace Corbin Burnes in free agency this offseason, pushing Montgomery further down the team's depth chart. Moving on from the pitcher altogether would be best for the team and Montgomery, as that relationship has quickly soured.

That is where the Rangers could step in. They could work a trade with some lower-level minor-league capital, taking on the beleaguered pitcher and all of the $22.5 million remaining on his contract that expires at the end of 2025.

Montgomery is not the pitcher that the world saw in 2024. He is also not the pitcher that Texas rode to a World Series championship in 2023 after acquiring him in a trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. He is somewhere in between.

Even with deGrom slated to be back on the field in 2025, the soon-to-be 37-year-old has made fewer starts since 2020 than the number of years he has flown around the sun and pitched only 265 1/3 innings in that time. You can not count on him to be healthy for a full season.

Adding Montgomery to the mix would give the Rangers a proven veteran who can post more often than not, and it is someone the team is already familiar with.

All sides involved would benefit from making this trade. The Diamondbacks could move on from a pitcher they openly regret signing; Texas could add more depth to their rotation at a small cost; Montgomery could return to a team that appreciates him and what he is able to do on the mound.

It could prove to be just the career renaissance the beleaguered veteran pitcher needs before entering free agency again.