Diamondbacks' Jordan Montgomery exercises player option despite owner's criticism

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery exercised his player option to return to the team for the 2025 season on Thursday night, locking him into a $22.5 million salary.

While this might seem like a run-of-the-mill, routine transaction it is especially noteworthy because Montgomery was the focal point of scathing criticism from Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick immediately after the 2024 season concluded.

The Diamondbacks signed Montgomery as a free agent just before the start of the season in the hopes he could strengthen their pitching staff to make another run at the World Series. Instead, the Diamondbacks got off to a poor start and could never dig out of the hole they put themselves in, falling just short of the playoffs. 

Montgomery played a big role in that disappointing season, posting a 6.23 ERA in his 25 appearances and 21 starts. That performance resulted in Kendrick ripping the decision to sign Montgomery.

“Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It was our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I'm the perpetrator of that.”

The decision to sign Montgomery was sound. He was one of the top starting pitchers available and had a proven track record of being, at worst, a middle-of-the-rotation starter, and perhaps even a top-of-the-rotation starter.

It simply did not work out in 2024. Given Montgomery's track record, there is a decent chance that he can rebound in 2025. 

It's unheard of to hear an owner single out one player so harshly, but it was probably all the incentive Montgomery needed to exercise his player option. What better way to get back at an owner that rips you that horribly than to take $22.5M of his money, potentially bounce back and then position yourself for an even bigger payday from a potentially better team the next offseason?