Jordan Montgomery, the last big unsigned name of this MLB free agent class, has reportedly found a new team.
Montgomery, who won a World Series in 2023 pitching with the Texas Rangers, will be joining the team his Rangers beat in the Fall Classic, the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Jeff Passan of ESPN reported on Tuesday that Montgomery and the Diamondbacks had agreed to terms. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the terms, that it was a one-year deal that “includes vesting option for second year.”
Steve Gilbert of MLB.com detailed the terms on the vesting option.
“If Montgomery starts 10 games this year, his 2025 contract option will vest at $20 million. If he makes 18 starts the vesting option is worth $22.5 million, and if he makes 23 starts or more it vests at $25 million.”
The contract drew two distinct reactions.
There was a general feeling that this deal was far below Montgomery’s value, another hit on what’s been a rough offseason for Scott Boras, Montgomery’s agent. And with that, there was a lot of questioning why other teams didn’t end up signing Montgomery.
Montgomery spent the 2023 season pitching with the Rangers and before that, the St. Louis Cardinals. Between the two teams, he posted a 3.20 ERA with a 1.193 WHIP, while striking out 166 hitters in 188.2 innings. He posted a 3-1 record in the postseason and was particularly effective during the American League Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays and the American League Championship Series against the Houston Astros.
Montgomery appeared once in the series against Tampa, pitching seven shutout innings while allowing six hits with five strikeouts in a Game 1 win. Against Houston, Montgomery made two starts and three appearances. Over 14 innings, he posted a 1.29 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, struck out 10 batters and went 2-0. That included a Game 7 win.
[Jeff Passan on Twitter/X, Ken Rosenthal on Twitter/X, Steve Gilbert, MLB.com]