The Texas Rangers are coming off of a World Series win to cap an exciting season under manager Bruce Bochy.
But, just days before Opening Day, Rangers postseason pitching star Jordan Montgomery hasn’t re-signed with the club, or any club for that matter.
When asked about Montgomery and whether the Rangers would like to have him back, Bochy was clear, per Jon Heyman of The New York Post:
“’Who wouldn’t like to have a Montgomery? What a great teammate along with a tremendous pitcher,’ Bochy said.
Bochy conceded that “those are decisions not made by me.” But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been stumping for Montgomery.”
Heyman goes on to point out what the issue may be that’s holding Rangers ownership up:
“The suspicion is the RSN imbroglio, which saw the team lose a multiyear deal and settle for a one-time $90M payment this year, is part of the issue. But the team also made some serious money on the World Series, and is hosting the All-Star Game this year.
‘Trust me, there’s been a lot of discussions,’ Bochy said. ‘But these decisions aren’t made by me. We’ve got a good payroll here. We’ve got a lot of talent.’”
The Rangers still feature solid pitching, even potentially without Montgomery. Last week, Bochy was impressed with José Ureña, who threw four innings and only allowed one run to the Diamondbacks.
“He’s doing well,” Bochy said. “We have a lot of pitchers that are really doing a nice job on the mound. He’s one of them. His last outing was a good one and we like to see where he’s at. He can sink it, and he’s got a good slider. He’s got experience too.”
The Rangers open the regular season on March 28 against the Chicago Cubs.
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