Jordan Montgomery
Position: SP
Bats/Throws: L/L
Age: 31 in 2024 (12/27/1992)
2023 Traditional Stats: 32 G, 10-11, 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 166 K, 188 IP
2023 Advanced Stats: 4.3 fWAR, 3.45 FIP, xERA 3.93, 6.2 BB%, 21.4 K%
Rundown
Jordan Montgomery was a fourth-round draft pick back in 2014 by the New York Yankees out of South Carolina and was a part of their rotation from 2017 to 2022. Montgomery was solid for the Yankees in his rookie year posting a 9-7 record with a 3.88 ERA in 155 1/3 innings with a 1.23 WHIP. Montgomery had Tommy John surgery halfway through his second year and struggled to be consistent up until the end of his tenure with the team.
The left-handed starter relies on five pitches which are his four-seam fastball, sinker, curveball, changeup, and cutter. His sinker is his most used pitch at 42.6% and its also his most effective pitch as he gets a lot of ground ball outs. Montgomery uses his changeup and curveball evenly at 23% and 22% while only using his four-seam fastball and cutter at 10.7% and 1.7%, respectively.
During July of the 2022 season, the Yankees shipped off Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. This is when Jordan Montgomery began his resurgence. Montgomery posted a 6-3 record with the Cardinals with a 3.11 ERA and 1.08 WHIP, which were both career-bests for him through that stretch of 63 2/3 innings.
This past year, Montgomery was once again traded at the deadline but this time to the Texas Rangers for left-handed pitcher John King, right-handed pitcher Tekoah Roby, and infielder Thomas Saggese. Another change of scenery seemed to be exactly what Montgomery needed as he posted a 2.79 ERA, 1.09 WHIP, and a .240 AVG against while striking out 58 and walking only 13 batters across 67 2/3 innings.
On top of this, Montgomery helped the Texas Rangers win their first World Series title this past October posting up a 3-1 record, 2.90 ERA, and 1.35 WHIP in 31 innings. Montgomery has solidified himself as a veteran left-hander who can bring depth and leadership to a team on the hunt for a world championship.
Contract
MLB Trade Rumors has Jordan Montgomery listed at six years and $150 million which would be an annual average value of $25 million. He’d receive this until his age 36 season.
This would make him tied for the ninth-highest-paid starting pitcher in the MLB and the highest-paid pitcher on the Mets staff. This price tag for Montgomery seems reasonable due to his ability to pitch in large markets (St. Louis, New York, Texas) and flourish at an older age as well as being a solid left-hander which is rare in today’s game.
The longevity of the contract might be a little concerning, but if this team wants to win and build a better roster this would be a step in the right direction.
Recommendation
The Mets will be looking to bolster the rotation after trading away Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and given David Peterson went down with a long-term injury. A guy like Jordan Montgomery could sit toward the top of the rotation behind Kodai Senga and give the Mets another veteran who can go out there and give quality starts.
Montgomery’s price tag seems a little high since he doesn’t necessarily overpower hitters. Still, owner Steve Cohen has shown in the past that money won’t stop him especially with new president of baseball operations, David Stearns, coming in to change the culture and rebuild the roster for a playoff run.
