The free agency window opened yesterday, meaning anyone a free agent can officially sign now. Today, the General Manager Meetings began in Scottsdale, Arizona, which is when some deals can come to fruition. For example, last year, the Atlanta Braves traded Jake Odorizzi to the Texas Rangers for Kolby Allard so a trade could come during the next few days; things are wrapping up on Thursday. Today, a report has surfaced that Boston Red Sox officials met with World Series Champion LHP Jordan Montgomery. Newly appointed Red Sox Chief of Baseball Operations Craig Breslow said last week pitching was the number one priority this offseason, and he has wasted no time already talking to Montgomery, who was dominant during the playoffs pitching as the #2 guy in the Rangers rotation during the postseason run behind former Red Sox pitcher Nathan Eovaldi.
Jordan Montgomery By The Numbers
The New York Yankees drafted Montgomery in the fourth round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He pitched for the Yankees for six seasons, making 98 appearances and 97 starts, going 22-20 with a 3.94 ERA, a 3.90 FIP, a 1.23 WHIP, a 1.2 HR/9, a 2.6 BB/9, and an 8.6 K/9. He was traded by the Yankees to the St. Louis Cardinals on August 2, 2022, for outfielder Harrison Bader. With the Cardinals, Montgomery made 32 starts, going 12-12 with a 3.31 ERA, a 3.50 FIP, a 1.19 WHIP, a 0.9 HR/9, a 2.3 BB/9, and an 8.2 K/9. At the 2023 trade deadline, the Texas Rangers acquired Montgomery from the Cardinals, and with the Rangers, he made 11 starts, going 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA, a 3.27 FIP, a 1.09 WHIP, a 0.8 HR/9, a 1.7 BB/9, and a 7.7 K/9. In the postseason this year, he made six appearances, with five of those being starts going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA, a 1.35 WHIP, and a 4.9 K/9; his best series was in the ALCS against the Astros when he pitched in three games going 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings of work while striking out ten and shutting down a dominant Houston Astros lineup to get the Rangers back to the World Series for the first time since 2011.
Bottom Line
The Red Sox need pitching, and the free agent list has some interesting pieces. Is Montgomery a pitcher that moves the needle for you? I could see him being a nice piece to the rotation. Still, they would need to acquire, either in free agency or via trade, probably two more arms to make the rotation dominant, even with the addition of Montgomery if they can sign him. The fun has started for the Red Sox, and it’ll be interesting to see what happens over the next few months as the roster for the 2024 season begins to take shape.
