Report: D-backs tried to trade Jordan Montgomery for Cubs’ Cody Bellinger
Dec 9, 2024, 12:58 PM | Updated: 2:00 pm
The Diamondbacks are shopping starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery “everywhere” and floated a trade idea to the Chicago Cubs that had Hamilton High School product Cody Bellinger returning home to Arizona, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale.
When your boss calls you one of the worst decisions in his baseball career and is angry that you opted back into your contract at $22.5 million, you don’t need a therapist to know that you’re not wanted. The Diamondbacks are shopping him everywhere. They tried to get the Cubs interested in a swap for Bellinger. So far, they’re striking out, but considering the soaring price of pitching, and the brilliance he showed on the Texas Rangers’ World Series championship team, there’s a better shot of snow flurries in Phoenix next summer than Montgomery wearing a D-backs uniform.
Bellinger, who recorded two All-Star campaigns with the Los Angeles Dodgers and won NL MVP in 2019, has been up and down with the Cubs in the past two years.
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He struggled massively with injuries in his final two seasons with Los Angeles before landing in Chicago and winning NL Comeback Player of the Year in 2023.
Bellinger, 29, recorded his second-best career WAR (4.4) that year with Chicago, but it fell off (2.2) last season as he slashed .266/.325/.426.
He is a trade target because of the contract signed before the 2024 campaign that will pay out $27.5 million next season and $25 million in 2026. Writes Nightengale:
No one is going to assume the entire $52.5 million left in Bellinger’s contract (if he opts back in for 2026 at $25 million). The Cubs would love to dump the contract, even for a lesser return, but they’re finding precious little interest. Still, there’s got to be a team out there that is willing to bite the bullet on the cash, and realize he’ll be a significant upgrade. We’re talking about you, Mariners and Yankees. He’ll definitely be moved, but it may not be until later this winter or spring.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal reported Arizona was open to trading Montgomery but “mixed” about the possibility he re-finds his form after posting a 6.23 ERA last year. Playing for the D-backs would come under a new staff of pitching coaches, with Brent Strom pushed out and Brian Kaplan hired away from the Philadelphia Phillies.
Montgomery opted into a $22.5 million season for 2025 despite D-backs managing partner Ken Kendrick calling last season’s signing of the veteran lefty “horrible.”
The Diamondbacks likely would consider clearing his salary to help them remain competitive. Some of those savings could be used to re-sign free agents such as first baseman Christian Walker or designated hitter Joc Pederson.
It helps that the D-backs have a deep group of potential starting pitchers for next season if they trade Montgomery. Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, Eduardo Rodriguez and Ryne Nelson are under contract.
