Looking for a match in a Jordan Montgomery trade

When the Diamondbacks shocked the baseball world by landing in right field Corbin Burnes in free agency, the move gave them nearly unprecedented depth in the rotation: The righty is flanked Zac Gallen, Merrill KellyEduardo Rodriguez, Jordan Montgomery, Brandon PfaadtAND Ryne Nelson among the club’s starting options heading into 2025. This kind of depth will cause a lot of speculation about the possibility of a trade, and Arizona’s rotation was no exception. While the club was reportedly not close to dealing any of its pitchers last week, it has garnered interest in their rotation over the winter.

Of that group, Montgomery has long seemed the most likely player to transfer. The left-hander was acquired from the Diamondbacks in the late spring of last year, and the deal didn’t go well for anyone. Montgomery struggled mightily in his first season in the desert, pitching to a 6.23 ERA in 117 innings of work. His 4.48 FIP was substantially better than top-tier run prevention, though even that was below average. Diamondbacks ownership went so far as to publicly criticize Montgomery shortly after the end of the 2024 season, so it’s no surprise that the Snakes have long appeared motivated to move the lefty ahead of his age-32 season. The addition of Burnes could at least theoretically open the door to Arizona feeling comfortable enough with its rotation depth to more seriously consider dealing one of its other arms, but it stands to reason that the club would still prefer to move Montgomery to equal conditions.

After such a disastrous 2024 campaign, it’s hard to imagine the Diamondbacks becoming all that important to left field services beyond a few pay cuts. Montgomery is projected to make $22.5 million in 2025, a sizable sum that seems unlikely the club will be able to get off its books entirely. That said, the ever-increasing price to start launching makes the deal at least a little more attractive than it might seem at first glance. After all, the Red Sox guaranteed the right-hander Walker Buehler $21.05 million for the 2025 season on the heels of a lackluster campaign in which he posted a 5.38 ERA in 16 starts. The Tigers, meanwhile, guaranteed the 37-year-old veteran Alex Cobb $15 million on the heels of a 2024 campaign in which he made just three regular season starts.

Both players have substantial track records to fall back on, but so does Montgomery. The lefty won the World Series with the Rangers in 2023, and in doing so capped a three-season stretch in which he pitched to a strong 3.48 ERA (120 ERA+) with a 3.62 FIP in 94 starts. As long as the Diamondbacks don’t look to get anything particularly significant in return, it’s relatively easy to imagine them being able to unload at least $15 million or so of Montgomery’s salary. Which teams might be best positioned to attempt a year of launching on the services of the left? A look at nine potential suitors, listed alphabetically within the tiers:

Better measurements

• Athletics: The A’s have been quite aggressive in trying to upgrade their clubhouse this winter, partly in an effort to avoid a complaint with the MLBPA over the use of revenue sharing dollars. They have already added Luis Severino AND Jeffrey Springs to their rotation this winter, but club officials have left the door open to acquiring a third starting pitcher this winter if the opportunity arose. Enter Montgomery, whose acquisition could push the club’s luxury tax payroll up to the $105 million range they’re reportedly targeting even if Arizona eats up some of the money. If Montgomery can recover in 2025, he would join Severino, Springs, JP SearsAND Mitch Spence in a surprisingly formidable rotation for the club’s first season in West Sacramento.
• Courageous: Atlanta clearly needs help in the rotation after losing both Massimo Fritto AND Charlie Mortone in free agency this winter, but the club has been unusually slow to get to work this winter. That said, Alex Anthopoulos’ front office has long shown a predilection for one-year additions that come off seasons like Josh Donaldson AND Marcel Ozuna. That list likely also includes the reigning NL Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale while the lefty was entering the final guaranteed year of his deal with Boston when the Braves traded for him. A trade for Montgomery certainly wouldn’t go as well as one for Sale, but it’s easy to imagine the lefty finding his way back into the Braves’ rotation alongside Sale, Spencer Strider, Reynaldo LopezAND Spencer Schwellenbach in 2025.
• White socks: Chicago might seem like an odd fit for Montgomery, given the fact that they are coming off the worst season in MLB history with virtually no hope of making any noise in the AL Central race next season. However, the fact that they are one of the few clubs clearly in the process of rebuilding right now could make them a unique potential suitor for Montgomery’s services. Their rotation mix is ​​filled to the brim with young arms who could prove interesting but offer little certainty, so adding a veteran arm like Montgomery could make sense for all sides. It’s possible that the White Sox, with a payroll that RosterResource projects at just $78 million in 2025, could actually absorb Montgomery’s entire salary in exchange for a prospect from Arizona. If Montgomery pitches well in the first half, Chicago could then flip the lefty at the deadline for additional young talent to keep the rebuild going at pace.

Next lower level

• Star: It’s possible to imagine the Astros becoming content with their current starting depth after the addition Hayden Wesneski to the mix in Kyle Tucker trade and probably welcoming right-hander Luis Garcia back in the fold in time for Opening Day after missing the 2024 season due to injury. That said, the club lost both Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy from his rotation depth this winter and is known to shop the right-hander Ryan Pressley on the trade market this winter while looking for left-handed outfielders. Arizona has a surplus of left-handed outfielders and is known to be on the hunt for relief help in the late innings, so perhaps there’s a fit here involving a combination of Montgomery, Pressly and the young Diamondbacks outfielder as Alex Thomas.
• Sailors: Seattle may seem like a somewhat unusual fit for Montgomery’s services given the club’s heavy rotation, but there appears to be at least some chance the club will trade the right-hander Luis Castello this winter. This, however, would leave the club with little rotation depth. In theory, it’s easy enough to imagine the Mariners trading Castillo to another club in exchange for in-house help, and then using the money saved from the deal to pivot toward acquiring Montgomery to replenish the rotation. Mariners president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto has certainly shown a willingness to get equally creative in the past, and Mike Hazen’s front office in Arizona has been one of his most frequent trade partners over the years.
• Met: The Mets are not in a position to need to add another starter, with a rotation mix that currently features eight players. That said, Montgomery’s salary would hardly be overly cumbersome for the big-spending Mets, and David Stearns has shown a passion for catch-up projects in the rotation. Given the Mets’ success in rehabilitating Luis Severino’s career and Sean Manaea last winter, it would hardly be a surprise if the club found similar success doing so with Montgomery.

Longer shots

• Puppies: The White Sox aren’t the only Chicago team for which Montgomery could at least theoretically make sense. It is well known that the Cubs are in the market for another starting pitcher and their search for a lefty Jesus Luzardo earlier this winter indicate the club’s willingness to roll the dice on a pitcher coming off a bad season like Montgomery. That said, the club reportedly rejected a trade involving Montgomery and Cody Bellinger earlier this winter. Given that the Cubs ended up trading Bellinger for little more than salary relief last month, it stands to reason that Jed Hoyer’s front office has little interest in Montgomery’s services or at least preferred to open up that payroll space for other activities. .
• Orioles: Baltimore would have seemed like a top fit for Montgomery’s services on paper just a week ago, but they recently signed right-hander Charlie Morton to a one-year deal through 2025. That won’t necessarily take them out of the game. rotation market, but it appears Baltimore just wants to boost its rotation to make a clear improvement over its internal options. Given Montgomery’s poor season, it’s hard to imagine the club feeling this way about him at this point. After all, fifth starter Dean Kremer has posted a higher ERA+ than Montgomery in two of the last three seasons.
• Rangers: Montgomery was a key piece in the Rangers’ 2023 World Series championship, and the club apparently had a lot of interest in bringing the lefty back last winter. Much like Montgomery himself, the Rangers had a down year in 2024 and missed the postseason. With Max Schezer AND Andrew Heaney now free agents, there could potentially be room for a reunion in Texas’ rotation. That said, the club appears determined to stay under the first luxury tax threshold and has a number of young starters they could instead choose to lean on in 2025, such as Jack Leiter AND Kumar Rocker.