Breaking News: Jordan Montgomery has come to an agreement on a 1-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks. Details inside...
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My Thoughts:
I didn't expect the Yankees to get Jordan Montgomery. The writing was (mostly) on the wall when they let Blake Snell sign with the San Francisco Giants. There are multiple messages being made clear by the FO with this (non)-move.
They are not going to spend any more money. They have reached their "cap" and are not going to budge.
They believe they have enough starting pitching depth. Even with Gerrit Cole out for the beginning of the season.
The FO talks a big game, but they don't back it up.
On this blog we've talked about all these points time and time again. I'm not going to belabor the points anymore than I have to. Especially with this being something that we all knew was going to happen.
For Montgomery, this is an interesting move. One guaranteed year at $25 Million with a vesting option (not even an opt-out) that hits at 10 starts this season for another $20 Million before adding two separate targets of 18 and 23 starts for an extra $2.5 Million a piece.
That's a light contract for a 31-year old pitcher who's shown both consistency and reliability (mid-3.00 ERA and 30 starts) for the last three years. For Scott Boras, this is a disaster contract. For Montgomery, he knew he had to take something.
The Diamondbacks are also an interesting team. They made the World Series last year, but were bested by the team Montgomery is coming from. (Though, to be fair, Monty did get a loss for the Rangers in the World Series, allowing 4 runs in 6 innings in Game 2.) They have a great all-around team, though with all the young talent, the question is if last year was a fluke or the first showcase of a new yearly contender. Of all the teams to go with, there are many many worse options for Monty.
All that being said, its not worth it to get upset over this move not happening for us. It was never going to happen for us. So, now the talking is over. Opening Day is right around the corner.
Let's play ball.
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I'm okay with Monty not signing with the Yankees, on the grounds that he missed 100 percent of Spring Training. It's not worth it to pay double for a pitcher who wouldn't be ready for a month plus. The caveat for Monty being that because he'll need to start the season in the minor leagues, he'll be inelligible to receive a qualifying offer at the end of the season, so if he makes it to free agency this winter (after starting more than 10 ball games, which is a stipulation in his deal), he'll be more appealing to most teams.
We saw this offseason that any player with a QA attached to them faced what is known as a deflated…
Jordan Montgomery
Fangraphs projection: five years, $105 million
Reported asking price: $170 million
Reality: one year, $25 million (with a vesting option for a second year)
Unlike the other deals, Montgomery has to actually do some work to reach free agency after this season. He reportedly can opt out only if he makes at least 10 starts for the Diamondbacks in 2024.
Go back five months, tell anyone that Montgomery would be in this position and enjoy the laughs. Montgomery spent most of his career as a solid-to-good pitcher for the Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, then found another level after he was traded to the Texas Rangers at last year's deadline.
https://sports.yahoo.com/scott-boras-finishes-offseason-to-forget-with-jordan-montgomerys-1-year-deal-044015216.html?fr=yhssrp_catchall
This signing has little-to-nothing to do with the Yankees. Monty went to the team that offered him the highest paycheck for this season, full-stop.
Need proof? Monty, a pitcher that depends on command and the movement on his secondary stuff, went to the thin air of Arizona, a place almost uniquely suited to cause his secondary stuff to play down.
New York, Boston, and Philly (all teams rumored to have made offers to Monty) offered better landing places for Monty's style of pitching. Boras and Monty followed the money, but there's little question that Monty failed to cash in on his best shot at Free Agency, and he's setting himself up for a performance dip this year to boot.
Yes, they are saving the money to give one player a half billion contract.