Three Teams Who’d Be Smart to Trade for Jordan Montgomery

If there is one starting pitcher that will get traded this offseason, easy money is on Jordan Montgomery to be wearing a different uniform in 2025.

Montgomery is coming off the worst season of his career, which made his decision very easy when it came to picking up his $22.5 million player option with the Arizona Diamondbacks. While he has opted into the deal, it still seems like his time in Arizona is coming to an end.

MLB insider Jeff Passan identified Montgomery as a clear trade candidate in his offseason preview for ESPN, saying the D-Backs would be willing to eat money in the deal.

How much money would they have to eat, and how much value can Montgomery bring to his new team? Let’s look at where things stand with Montgomery and identify three teams who could make this deal.

Why Jordan Montgomery Can Bounce Back

Jordan Montgomery is coming off a season where he pitched to a 6.23 ERA. This will not inspire much confidence in him going into 2025, but if you look beyond just last year, the track record is good enough to believe a bounce back is possible, if not probable.

Montgomery debuted for the Yankees back in 2017 and pitched to a 3.88 ERA over 29 starts and 155 1/3 innings pitched. In 2018, Montgomery made just six starts before being shut down to undergo Tommy John surgery.

It was not until 2021 that Montgomery got the chance pitch in a full season, but once he was fully healthy, he picked up where he left off. The burly lefty pitched to a 3.81 ERA across 157 1/3 innings pitched in 2021, then a 3.48 ERA over 178 1/3 innings pitched in 2022.

Montgomery had a career year in 2023, pitching to a 3.20 ERA across 188 2/3 innings pitched, before going on to play a key role in the Rangers winning the World Series. Montgomery went into free agency last year coming off that incredible run, and three straight years of pitching to a sub-4.00 ERA, with over 155 innings pitched every year.

There was every reason to believe in Montgomery over a long-term deal, but instead, he was forced to sign a one-year, $25 million deal, with the $22.5 million second-year player option, which he just chose to exercise.

Montgomery did not get a chance to pitch at all in spring training last year and fired his agent immediately upon signing the deal. He then drops into one of the worst ballparks in baseball for a sinkerballer, as Arizona has one of the fastest infields in the game.

Not that he pitched exceptionally well on the road either, but his splits of a 6.90 ERA in Arizona, and a 5.50 ERA on the road are pretty telling. Montgomery never got the chance to be comfortable in Arizona, but that does not mean he completely forgot how to pitch.

Moving on to a new situation would be great for Montgomery, who if nothing else, has the floor of a fifth starter who can eat innings for you, and the ceiling of a No. 3 starter who can take the ball in playoff games.

Ultimately, there are no bad one-year deals for starting pitchers, although $22.5 million is probably too rich for most teams to swallow.

Looking back at last year, Luis Severino hit the open market after a season where his ERA was north of 6.00 and he still received a one-year, $14 million contract.

If the D-Backs eat at least $8.5 million of Montgomery’s contract, there is a good chance they can find a taker who will be willing to take a flier on Montgomery.

1. Return to the Texas Rangers for Jordan Montgomery

One of the teams to keep an eye on to trade for Jordan Montgomery is the same team he won a World Series with just over a year ago, the Texas Rangers.

The Rangers need to replace Nathan Eovaldi and Andrew Heaney in free agency but are reportedly strapped for cash this offseason. If they can’t re-sign Eovaldi, the Rangers could instead re-acquire the other horse they rode in the playoffs in 2023.

Depending on how much they are willing to pay Montgomery, the Rangers can send a very minimal prospect return to acquire him. If they are looking to spend money in other areas, they could always send better prospects in exchange for the D-Backs eating more money.

While the fit does seem natural to see Montgomery back in the place where he arguably had the most success in his career, picking up even half of his contract may lock the Rangers into a rotation that will have taken a step back from last year.

A full season of Jacob deGrom and Tyler Mahle could be the answer to their rotation concerns, as well as getting a full year from top prospect Kumar Rocker. Still, all three of those guys carry risk, which Montgomery may be able to mitigate simply due to his being a durable option.

But if the Rangers don’t get a healthy year from deGrom, Mahle and/or Rocker, and Montgomery has a repeat of 2024, then Texas will surely be out of it in 2025. The question for President Chris Young might be as simple as this.

Can you do better than Montgomery on a one-year, $10-14 million deal in free agency?

If the answer is yes, they are better off taking a flier on a free agent, rather than bringing back Montgomery.

2. A Team That Can Eat All the Money: New York Mets

If there is one team that uses cash to their benefit, it is the New York Mets. With the richest owner in the sport, the idea of no bad one-year contract really does hold true for the Mets, as the only thing that they don’t want is dead money on their books from bad long-term deals.

With Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer’s contracts now off the books, the Mets have a ton of money open to spend this offseason and could take on Montgomery’s salary with ease.

For a team that is still hoping to hold onto as much of their prospect capital as possible, a trade like this makes a lot of sense for the Mets.

The Mets could have Montgomery tomorrow if they just sign on to take the whole contract, but that is a favor they simply do not have to do for the D-Backs. Just because the Mets can afford the $22.5 million contract, does not mean they should take it all on.

Arizona would likely still have to eat down this deal some, and in return, they might get a low-grade prospect. Where the Mets offer might be more attractive than another team though, is their willingness to take on a bit more of the deal.

Imagine if the Rangers are only comfortable paying $12 million for Montgomery in 2025, but the Mets will pick up $16 million instead. That $4 million swing would go a long way for the small market D-Backs, who need every dollar to help reshape their roster for the upcoming season.

3. The Type of Trade the Braves Always Make

Last year, when the Atlanta Braves traded for Chris Sale, it was a deal that was not on anyone’s radar, but one that was widely regarded as a brilliant move as soon as it was finalized.

Based on the money the Red Sox sent in the trade, a reworked contract, and just some clear financial wizardry from Braves president of baseball operations, Alex Anthopolus, Sale’s salary was completely paid for by the Red Sox last year.

Even though Sale will earn $22 million this year, the Braves are only taking on a luxury tax hit of $3 million. This is the same luxury tax number he carried last season in a Cy Young campaign.

The point being, the Braves have become the team that seeks out distressed assets and capitalizes on them. This the perfect example of a contract they can inherit at a discount, only to help Montgomery return to form in their healthy environment that gets the most out of players.

The Braves are set to lose both Max Fried and Charlie Morton from their rotation last year, with Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach being the three holdovers that will return in 2025.

Spencer Strider could make an impact in the second half after he completes his rehab from Tommy John surgery, and the Braves also just picked up Griffin Canning in the Jorge Soler trade, marking another depressed asset they are hoping to reclaim in 2025.

Montgomery would give the Braves a durable pitcher to plug into the middle of their rotation, who could always be pushed out by the end of the year if the rest of their rotation stays healthy, and Strider returns.

This seems like the type of gamble Anthopolus likes to make, and if he can get creative with the return going back to Arizona, he could receive Montgomery on a huge discount when it comes to salary.

Overall, these are three of many teams who might kick the tires on trading for Montgomery. While it was a truly awful season for the left-hander in 2024, teams would be wise to take a chance on a bounce back, as his track record is too good to dismiss off of one down season.