Report: Jordan Montgomery picks up player option with Diamondbacks

Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery has exercised his $22.5 million player option to remain under contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks ahead of the 2025 season, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand first reported on Thursday.

Montgomery hoped to cash in on a terrific 2023 season and playoff run last fall, but after going through the offseason without a deal, he landed with Arizona at the start of the season. He signed a one-year deal worth $25 million with a player option.

The southpaw’s 2024 campaign was a worse-case scenario for both the player and the club, as his 6.23 ERA ranked dead last among 140 pitchers with at least 90 innings.

The D-backs took him out of the rotation in August, but he briefly returned to the starting five after Ryne Nelson dealt with shoulder inflammation in September.

Montgomery switched agencies during the season, as well, moving on from Scott Boras to hire Wasserman and publicly criticized Boras’ handling of his free agency.

After the season, D-backs managing partner Ken Kendrick took blame for the “horrible decision” to sign Montgomery while appearing on Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo.

General manager Mike Hazen responded by saying the decision was a group effort and that he expected Montgomery to bounce back and have a better 2025.

“I know there’s a better version of Jordan Montgomery that’s out there,” Hazen told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke after the season. “He’s going to accept the responsibility to what it’s going to take for him to come into spring training next year and be one of our five.”

There is also the possibility he gets traded before Opening Day, which would likely require the D-backs eating some of the contract.

Montgomery earned a reputation as a quality mid-to-upper rotation arm before his D-backs tenure, someone who could dependably eat innings. From 2020-23, Montgomery was one of 14 pitchers with at least 550 innings pitched and a sub-3.65 ERA.

That list that includes Arizona’s Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly.

His walk rate jumped from 6.2% in 2023 to 8.3% in 2024, while his strikeout rate plummeted from 21.4% to 15.6%. The increase in walks and balls in play bit him, as opponents hit .312 off him with a .351 batting average on balls in play — Montgomery’s BABIP in 2023 was .295.

The Diamondbacks have Gallen — a Boras client — under contract for one more season, while Kelly has a $7 million club option for 2025. Veteran left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez has three more years on his deal, while younger starters Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson are pre-arbitration players under team control long term.

The World Series ended on Wednesday, beginning the MLB offseason. Outfielder Randal Grichuk declined a $6 million mutual option for 2025, entering free agency.

The D-backs have club options on Kelly and third baseman Eugenio Suarez, along with mutual options for designated hitter Joc Pederson and reliever Scott McGough.

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