Jordan Montgomery: The Missing Piece in the Texas Rangers’ World Series Defense

SURPRISE, Ariz. — The world champion Texas Rangers have a lot going for them, from the game’s most talented double play combination (Corey Seager and Marcus Semien) to the most efficient hitter (Seager again) to the player the most determined/reliable ( Semien again) to two of the best young talents in the game (Evan Carter and Cactus League sensation Wyatt Langford) to the best manager (Bruce Bochy).

This last point is indisputable. Bochy won four World Series with four underdog teams heading into the playoffs (and something tells me that if he’d had half a chance in the 1998 World Series as manager of the Padres against the best team of the last 50 years, he might have succeeded, too).

No one runs the game better and no one knows the game better. And while Bochy returned to the game after a three-year absence because he loved the mission of this team and the “vision” of general manager Chris Young (and he must be feeling even better after winning that fourth World Series ring to tie Joe Torre), as the rest of the Rangers baseball players Bochy notices a conspicuous absence.

Jordan Montgomery, celebrating after getting out of the seventh inning in Game 1 of the World Series, remains without a contract heading into the season. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con

Jordan Montgomery, who formed half of their dynamic postseason pitching duo of former Yankees with Nate Eovaldi (who was named the Opening Day starter Tuesday), isn’t there. Monty isn’t in either camp as he searches for the right free agent contract, but Bochy and their fellow ballplayers agree that’s where the southpaw belongs after helping win Texas’ first title.

“Who wouldn’t want to have a Montgomery?” What a great teammate and what a great pitcher,” Bochy said.

Bochy admitted that “these are decisions that I did not make.” But that doesn’t mean he isn’t interested in Montgomery.

Ownership of the Rangers is far from cheap, their baseball experts concede. They have the eighth or ninth highest payroll, according to Cot’s, and they signed Seager and Semien a year before they were even ready to win. That’s why it came as a surprise that they hadn’t made a move on Monty yet.

“It’s pretty close to the staff we had last year. It’s very, very close,” Bochy said. “And it worked last year. We added a great guy in Montgomery who helped lead the way.

The implication is clear. Let’s do it again.

Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said he would like Jordan Montgomery to resign from the team, but that it wasn’t his decision. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

There is suspicion that the RSN imbroglio, which saw the team lose a multi-year contract and settle for a one-time payment of $90 million this year, is part of the problem. But the team also made a lot of money from the World Series and is hosting the All-Star Game this year.

“Believe me, there was a lot of discussion,” Bochy said. “But these decisions are not made by me. We have a good payroll here. We have a lot of talent.

While the Giants have always made sense for Blake Snell (who agreed to a two-year, $62 million contract in San Francisco), it’s the obvious team for Montgomery, who not only would like to return, but is being recalled as one of the main reasons why this team won its first championship.

The Red Sox held a Zoom call a month ago with Montgomery. But Boston doesn’t feel like it’s doing much at the moment (or all winter for that matter).

The Cubs have checked in, but they don’t appear to be at the forefront of the discussions either.

The Cardinals have touched base, and while they look like they could use another pitcher, there are no words of implication there.

The Yankees considered Snell late before he ultimately decided to go to the Giants. They liked Montgomery when they had him, and he would be more profitable, especially in terms of taxes. But they preferred Snell.

No sir, Texas seems like the right place.

While recovering starters Tyler Mahle, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are all progressing (Scherzer is even said to be ahead of schedule), Monty is a guy on their minds. His seven shutout innings in the Wild Card round against the Rays and his two straight gems against the rival Astros in the ALCS won’t soon be forgotten.

“Monty played a huge role for our team and was one of the biggest reasons we won the World Series,” Young said. “And we will certainly be forever grateful for his contribution to Rangers and his place in Rangers history.”

If that sounds like a nice farewell, it’s not. Rumor has it that, to a man, every baseball fan supports the idea of ​​Montgomery returning. This also applies to the players. I know because I checked.

“Does everyone want to play with Jordan? Of course,” Semien said. “He took us as far as he could and we won. His one performance in the Wild Card Series set the tone for our entire playoff campaign. The way he pitched against Houston – a team we will always have to contend against – was excellent. These are things we want here. Obviously, it’s a deal, and we’ll see what happens.

It’s a business – the three truest, saddest words in the game.

2024-03-20 00:46:04
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