The Yankees just find themselves in significant need of a significant upgrade, and it just so happens that the free agent market still has one available. Jordan Montgomery,.
Montgomery opened his MLB career in pinstripes, remains unsigned after pitching to a 3.20 ERA last season and getting even stingier (2.90 ERA across 31 innings) come playoff time while helping steer the Texas Rangers to their first World Series title.
And while they at least cracked the honorable mention section, their inclusion came with several caveats: “If and only if Gerrit Cole comes back quickly and Nestor Cortes and Carlos Rodón both bounce back, the Yankees belong.”
That’s hardly a ringing endorsement of this rotation, and who knows how many (if any) of those caveats will even come true. Yet, that’s the state of this pitching staff, which will feature Cortes, who posted a 4.97 ERA across 63.1 innings last season, on the bump for Opening Day.
An Investment in Montgomery Feels Safe
He’s been even sharper over the past two. In 2022, he set a career-high with 178.1 innings and a career-low 3.48 ERA. Then, he bettered both marks this past season (188.2 innings and a 3.20 ERA) before seeing even better results in the playoffs.
If the Yankees sign Montgomery, they can reasonably expect reliability. And given all of the question marks with this staff, that’s something they desperately need.
But Montgomery could be learning what so many other clients of his agent, Scott Boras, have discovered: Most teams aren’t interested in handing out blank checks.
Jordan Montgomery’s Top FA Landing Spots After Blake Snell’s Contract with Giants
Jordan Montgomery’s Top FA Landing Spots After Blake Snell’s Contract with Giants
