The Boston Red Sox are pursuing free agent pitcher Jordan Montgomery. However, the left-hander isn’t going to knock down his relatively high asking price, and rightfully so. Montgomery is coming off a World Series championship with the Texas Rangers as he and Blake Snell are the top pitchers left in free agency. As both players along with Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman remain unsigned, they will continue to be the focus of conversations.
Can Boston get a deal done?
The Latest on Jordan Montgomery, Red Sox
Boston has been loosely tied to Montgomery throughout the offseason as that connection was discussed by both Rod Bradford of WEEI and Sean McAdam of MassLive. Bradford reports that the Red Sox prefer Montgomery over other available free agents. But, he is waiting for the price to come down. As for McAdam, he noted that the club has stayed in contact with Scott Boras as “a matter of course.” McAdam suggested that the Red Sox could fit Montgomery into their budget if his asking price drops.
Red Sox Can Make A Splash
The Red Sox have been quiet as they weren’t big spenders. Teams like the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers are beyond the fourth and final luxury tax tier. Boston isn’t even above the lowest threshold of $237 million. Their competitive balance tax figure is at $202 million, allowing them to make a splash and avoid the tax simultaneously. All of that could put the Red Sox in a position to strike and sign Montgomery.
Does Signing Montgomery Make Sense?
There seems to be a fit between the two sides as the club has been looking for starting pitcher all winter. They did sign Lucas Giolito but it came with trading Chris Sale to the Atlanta Braves. The 31-year-old would immediately jump into the top two of Boston’s rotation. That would help other options like Garrett Whitlock, Tanner Houck, and Kutter Crawford back to familiar roles in the bullpen. Besides Giolito, Brayan Bello and Nick Pivetta have seemingly secured a spot in the rotation.
Montgomery was excellent last season, finishing with a 3.20 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP. He notched three wins while compiling a 2.38 ERA in the postseason for Texas.
If Not Mongtomery, Then Who Else?
Even if Montgomery and the Red Sox don’t get a deal done, there are plenty of other options. If Boston wants to add money to their payroll, the free agent pitching market still has Michael Lorenzen, Mike Clevinger, Rich Hill, and Zack Greinke available. Montgomery’s continued stay in free agency means that he hasn’t had offers in the $150+ million range. The chances of him earning that type of money will likely drop as Opening Day slowly approaches.
Main Photo: © Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
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