Jordan Montgomery Is Still Available as Opening Day Approaches

Jordan Montgomery is somehow still a free agent.

Major League Baseball fully opens the 2024 season this week and rosters are currently being finalized. Somehow, Jordan Montgomery is still waiting to find his next team.

The 31-year-old starter was outstanding in 2023, and stepped up his game down the stretch to help the Texas Rangers win their first World Series title. He was looking to cash in this offseason but, like Blake Snell before him, teams haven’t ponied up the kind of offers he has been looking for. Besides being veteran lefties coming off excellent seasons, Snell and Montgomery have something in common — they’re both represented by Scott Boras.

Montgomery split time between the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers in 2023, making 32 regular season starts. He finished 10-11 with a 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 166 strikeouts against 48 walks allowed in 188.2 innings. After he was traded to Texas on July 30, he really turned it on. Montgomery made 11 starts for the Rangers, posting a 4-2 record with a 2.79 ERA, a 1.09 WHIP and 58 strikeouts against 13 walks in 67.2 innings. He also shined in six postseason appearances (five starts) as well, turning in a 2.90 ERA.

So what gives? Teams need pitching depth more than ever, and Montgomery is a lefty who appears to be at this top of his game. He’s also durable, having made 30 or more starts in three consecutive seasons. He’s exactly what contenders should be looking for. It would appear teams don’t have any interest in matching Boras’ contract demands.

Snell was forced to take a short-term, high-dollar deal from the San Francisco Giants after not getting the long-term pact he was seeking. His two-year, $62 million contract will allow him to opt out after Year 1. Montgomery might be staring down a similar situation unless he takes far less money per year than he was seeking. Reports suggest multiple teams remain interested, but a deal still hasn’t been reached.

Montgomery earned a big contract with the way he pitched the past three seasons. A few days from the start of the 2024 MLB season he somehow hasn’t found it.

Ryan Phillips is a senior writer at The Big Lead.