After a stellar season in 2023 that saw Montgomery pitch for a 3.20 ERA, 166 strikeouts and 10 wins in 188.2 innings for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Rangers and ended with a World Series trophy, he is one of the most enticing pitchers left on the free agent market.
Montgomery would instantly jump to the top of a rotation in Boston that currently includes Lucas Giolito, Nick Pivetta, Brayan Bello, Kutter Crawford and Tanner Houck. He would add some much needed strikeout potential to backup an offense that performed better than the team’s 78-84 record for 2023 suggests.
The Red Sox have been connected to a broad range of free agents, but haven’t made any splashy moves this offseason. The team has indicated that they are unlikely to spend much more money than they did last season, despite their poor record.
“Speaking prior to Red Sox Winter Weekend, the CEO (Sam Kennedy) told the media the team’s payroll for this season will ‘probably be lower’ than it was in 2023,” Boston.com reported. “The payroll last year was $225 million.”
While the Sox have an inside chance to add Montgomery, they might opt to add a cheaper option instead.
“The club has been connected to some big name free agents that are still available, such as Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but perhaps they need to free up a bit of cash before they can earnestly pursue any of those,” MLB Trade Rumors reported. “More affordable options would include Mike Clevinger, Michael Lorenzen, Hyun Jin Ryu and others.”
