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This one of a bit of a shot in the dark, but it’s not baseless.
Jordan Montgomery’s first season with the Diamondbacks was a disaster, as he posted a 6.23 ERA across 117 innings. He clearly wasn’t in good enough shape after not signing until March 29. To top off his brutal campaign, owner Ken Kendrick lambasted Montgomery, taking blame for the decision to sign him.
“If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy that should be blamed,” Kendrick said in a radio interview. “Because I brought it to [the front office’s] attention. I pushed for it. They agreed to it—it wasn’t in our game plan. You know when he was signed—right at the end of spring training. And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I’m the perpetrator of that.”
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Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick says he’s to blame for the team signing Jordan Montgomery
“Horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint.” pic.twitter.com/7wzu8pTn4k
The awkward part about this? Montgomery has a $22.5 million player option for 2025. After such a down year, Montgomery would be making a massive financial miscalculation if he declined the option. Maybe Kendrick thought by putting that quote out that he would make things so untenable for Montgomery that he would walk away from the money. Don’t count on it.
Trying to trade Montgomery after he picks up the option may be the best solution for all involved. He’s definitely a better pitcher than he showed in 2024, and if Arizona eats a chunk of that money, it shouldn’t be hard to find a suitor.
And what better fit for Montgomery would there be than a return to the Rangers? He never wanted to leave Texas, and the Rangers have Max Scherzer, Andrew Heaney and Nathan Eovaldi all coming off the books. Reacquiring Montgomery for a season and paying, let’s say, half of his salary for 2025 would be a good move for General Manager Chris Young.
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