Red Sox Remain In Touch With Top Free Agent Pitcher

Here we go again: there is another Jordan Montgomery report as it pertains to the Red Sox. Inevitably, the report also contains the six-letter word that Sox fans have come to dread especially this offseason: "budget".

Spring Training play is underway, and the southpaw remains without a team, as do several other top-of-the-line free agents. Despite Boston sitting $31 million below the first luxury tax threshold, Montgomery's price hasn't dropped enough for the front office to "fit him into their budget", per Sean McAdam.

Jordan Montgomery is Still Not In Red Sox's Budget

As McAdam noted, Montgomery retains notorious baseball supervillain Scott Boras as his agent. Although Boras has a reputation for forcing the team to blink first, Montgomery not playing this season (which is admittedly unfeasible), doesn't aid either party financially.

Montgomery could also overrule Boras as Opening Day approaches if he begins to feel apprehensive about his job insecurity, but pitching injuries have already begun to infiltrate spring training complexes and a team could budge and meet Montgomery's price out of necessity.

There is also the obvious concern that if Montgomery's price does indeed go down, he would not only enter the Red Sox's price range but also several other teams'.

The Red Sox and Montgomery have long been viewed as a practical partnership. Boston entered the offseason in dire need of improving their starting pitching. Although they added Lucas Giolito, his 2024 output is a wildcard based on his last two seasons and the rotation still lacks a bonafide ace.

Montgomery controls the zone well, which new Sox pitching coach Andrew "Strikes Are Everything" Bailey has pinpointed as an area of emphasis, and the seven-year vet's offseason residency in Boston gave more credence to a potential contract agreement with the team.

Montgomery strongly enhanced his free agent stock with a standout performance during the Texas Rangers' run to the World Series title in 2023. After arriving in Texas at the trade deadline, the 31-year-old pitched arguably the best big league baseball of his career.

In 11 regular season starts after joining the Rangers, he held opposing teams to a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He starred in the Rangers' seven-game ALCS win over their in-state rival Houston Astros, posting a 1.29 ERA across three starts, bookending the series by earning wins in both Game 1 and Game 7.

Across his seven MLB seasons, Montgomery holds a 38-34 record with a 3.68 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, and 8.4 K/9. He spent the first five and a half years of his career with the New York Yankees before being dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals at the 2022 deadline.

After an offseason of earning the "interest kings" nickname, Boston actually inking Montgomery still seems like a pipe dream, but it would certainly be an olive branch to a discouraged and discontented fanbase.

After back-to-back 78-win seasons, the Red Sox are expected to have a similar season this year as well. FanDuel Sportsbook has set their over/under win total at 79.5. If you want to back the Red Sox, head over to FanDuel and take advantage of their sign-up offer of $150 when you make a winning wager of $5.

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