The Texas Rangers have consistently been viewed as the most likely landing spot for free-agent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery this winter. But is there a team lingering in the background if that doesn't work out?
Montgomery was acquired by the Rangers from the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2023 MLB trade deadline. The southpaw helped stabilize Texas' rotation down the stretch by posting a 4-2 record with a 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts in 67.2 innings. He also contributed in October as the Rangers won their first-ever World Series title.
The New York Post's Jon Heyman reiterated during a Bleacher Report livestream on January 24 that Monty returning to Texas is what's expected to happen. But if it doesn't come together, he said the Boston Red Sox stand out as another team that's a good fit. Not only could they use another starting pitcher, but Montgomery's wife is participating in a dermatology residency at a Boston-area hospital.
Rangers and Red Sox best fit for Jordan Montgomery? ?
(w/ @JonHeyman) pic.twitter.com/0BcEvnQg3d
— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) January 24, 2024
Chris Cotillo and Sean McAdam of MassLive reported in November that Montgomery moved to Boston for the offseason to be with his wife and had been working out at Boston College. That doesn't seem like a terrible fallback option if the southpaw's rumored top choice doesn't eventually work out as expected.
Of course, it's worth noting that if Montgomery doesn't re-sign with Texas, he won't be able to take advantage of the free barbeque for life that an Arlington-area restaurant recently offered him. Tough decisions all around.
At the start of free agency, MLB Trade Rumors predicted Monty would sign a six-year, $150 million contract. On January 4, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reported that the hurler's agent, Scott Boras, was looking for a deal better than the seven-year, $172 million guarantee Aaron Nola signed with the Philadelphia Phillies earlier this winter.
Montgomery is one of two top-tier pitchers still left on the free-agent market. The other is Blake Snell, who just won his second career Cy Young Award in 2023 with the San Diego Padres. Boras represents both of them. He doesn't mind dragging free agency out for his clients to get the right deal, so we may be here for a while.
