With Opening Day a matter of days away, one of the offseason’s top free-agent arms remains available in southpaw Jordan Montgomery.
Reporting on Sunday indicated that the lefty has multiple long-term offers on the table, though it’s unclear which clubs those offers have come from.
On Monday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post indicated that both the Yankees and Mets have yet to “shut the door” on a hypothetical deal with the 31-year-old.
It’s hardly the first time a Montgomery-Yankees reunion has been rumored. A report last week revealed that the sides had “reopened discussions,” and the sides have been loosely connected throughout the winter even as the lefty appeared to prefer a return to Texas while the Yankees pursued fellow southpaw and Scott Boras client Blake Snell.
Per Sherman, the Yankees have provided Montgomery’s camp with a range at which they are comfortable striking a deal with the lefty. The sides remain apart as things stand even as Montgomery’s asking price has dropped as the start of the regular season approaches.
Sherman indicates that Montgomery’s initial ask was in a similar range to the seven-year, $172M deal signed by right-hander Aaron Nola back in November, but he’s since begun to target the extension Tyler Glasnow signed with the Dodgers as a potential comp.
Glasnow’s deal was announced by the Dodgers as worth $136.5M over five years, though it’s worth noting that figure includes his $25M salary for the 2023 season. In other words, that deal guaranteed Glasnow $111.5M in new money over four years.
The Yankees don’t appear to be interested in going to that level to secure Montgomery’s services, however. Sherman indicates that the club has “privately assessed” Montgomery to be a No. 3 starter, suggesting that the club’s range of comfort could be closer to the four-year, $80M deal veteran southpaw Eduardo Rodriguez signed with the Diamondbacks back in December.
While a gap of roughly $30M is significant, it’s hardly completely insurmountable. New York reportedly made a six-year, $150M offer to Snell back in January, suggesting a willingness to stretch its budget to land an arm of Montgomery’s caliber.
Particularly in light of the sudden uncertainty the club’s rotation is facing with ace right-hander Gerrit Cole set to miss at least a couple of months to open the season, it would hardly be a surprise to see Montgomery and the Yankees find some common ground and work out a deal at some point.
The Mets’ interest, by contrast, does not appear to be as advanced as their AL counterparts. Sherman indicates that the club’s strategy regarding Montgomery is similar to the one they employed when negotiating with veteran DH J.D. Martinez, who eventually signed with them on a one-year deal that guarantees $12M, though the majority of that money is deferred.
That’s not to say David Stearns’ front office values the two Boras Corporation clients identically; even considering the depressed market Montgomery is likely facing this late into his free agency, it would be a shock to see him sign a similar deal to the one inked by Martinez.
Rather, it appears that the Mets don’t expect to get more deeply involved in Montgomery’s market unless his asking price drops into their established range of interest.
The 31-year-old would be a surefire upgrade to either club’s rotation if signed. Over the past three seasons, few pitchers have been more reliable than Montgomery, who sports a 3.48 ERA (121 ERA+) and 3.62 FIP across 94 starts.
Only five pitchers — Cole, Nola, Dylan Cease, Kevin Gausman and Jose Berrios — have started more regular-season games over the past three years, and of that group, only Cole and Gausman have posted a lower ERA during that time.
With that being said, Montgomery’s lengthy free agency has wiped out the opportunity for him to have a normal spring training. It will almost assuredly leave whatever club signs the southpaw to remain without him for at least the first few weeks of the regular season.
The New York clubs aren’t Montgomery’s only known suitors. The left-hander has frequently been tied to the Red Sox throughout the winter, and more recent reporting has connected him to Philadelphia as well.
On the other hand, the rumor mill has been mostly quiet about Boston and Montgomery in recent weeks.
Phillies GM Dave Dombrowski told reporters (including Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Inquirer) that the club is not “actively seeking” free-agent pitching at the moment, even in the wake of the news that right-hander Taijuan Walker will open the season on the injured list due to shoulder impingement.
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