If you can recall, several Scott Boras clients took a while to sign during the 2023-24 offseason.
The uber-agent misread the market and waited too long on some of his clients, notably Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Cody Bellinger, and Jordan Montgomery.
All four signed late, near the end of spring training after having lost most of it, thus compromising their preparations for the 2025 campaign.
It took a while for most of them to get going.
You could say Montgomery never did, as he posted a 6.23 ERA in 117 innings with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Cleveland Guardians are looking for reliable starters and could potentially consider trading for Montgomery, who will make $22.5 million next year.
That kind of salary is usually prohibitive for the stingy Guards, but recent reports suggest Arizona is willing to trade Montgomery and might be open to eating some of his salary to make it happen.
As it usually happens, the quality of the D-Backs’ return package hinges on how much money are they willing to eat.
If they want a solid prospect, they might need to absorb more than half of those $22.5 million.
The Guardians have the prospects and would be smart to consider a move.
Yes, Montgomery had a 6.23 ERA, but it’s clear he needed spring training and missed it completely because he was unsigned.
With better preparation, he can thrive.
In each season from 2021 to 2023, he posted an ERA under 4.00, and was a big reason why the Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series.
Carl Willis and the Guards’ excellent player development system, plus a normal offseason and spring, could work wonders for Montgomery.
He carries some serious bounceback potential and Cleveland should at least kick the tires on a potential trade.
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