The New York Yankees have a surplus of starting pitchers, but one MLB analyst says they should deal for more.
MLB analyst Jeremy Nielsen of PinstripeAlley of SB Nation believes the Yankees should attempt to re-sign Jordan Montgomery from the Arizona Diamondbacks. Montgomery, according to Nielsen, is a good buy-low candidate for the Yankees and may help shore up the rotation’s bottom half.
“If the Yankees traded for Montgomery, he’d escape a toxic situation in Arizona and return to the organization which drafted and developed him,” according to Nielsen. “He’d also have a full spring training this time. Instead of missing camp totally while waiting for a better offer that never arrived.
“However, we need to address the elephant in the room.” “The Yankees’ rotation appears to be nearly complete heading into 2025,” Nielsen noted. “Max Fried will join Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodón, Clarke Schmidt, and AL Rookie of the Year Luis Gil.” Montgomery has an outside chance of making the rotation. Montgomery’s return to the Bronx is most likely to serve as a break-glass alternative in the event of long-term injury. If one of the planned starters falls down for an extended amount of time, bringing Gumby on board makes more sense.”
As Nielsen points out, the Yankees have an abundance of starters, but the left-hander would be a good experienced option as the fifth starter. However, if the Yankees wish to reunite with the left-hander remains to be seen.
Montgomery inked a two-year, $47.5 million contract with the Diamondbacks last offseason.
Diamondbacks owner calls Montgomery a terrible signing.
Arizona attempted to bolster its rotation by adding Montgomery.
However, Montgomery struggled badly in 2024, and Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick feels it was a terrible signing.
“If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy that should be blamed,” Kendrick, of Arizona Sports, said. “Because I brought it to their [front office’s] attention. I pushed for it. They agreed, even though it wasn’t part of our game plan. You know when he was signed—right at the end of spring training. In hindsight, it was a terrible move to put that money in a guy who performed so poorly. It is our biggest error this season in terms of talent. I’m the one who did it.”
Montgomery finished 8-7 with a 6.23 ERA in 21 starts for the Diamondbacks. The Yankees selected the left-hander in the 2014 MLB Draft. He played in New York from 2017 to 2022.
Yankees Could Trade Marcus Stroman
New York strengthened its rotation by adding Max Fried, but traded Nestor Cortes this offseason.
Montgomery is unnecessary because the Yankees’ rotation already includes Cole, Fried, Rodon, Schmidt, and Gil. New York also owns Marcus Stroman, but MLB insider Robert Murray reports that the Yankees are looking to sell the right-hander.
“I also imagine a Marcus Stroman trade would appear more likely than not,” Murray remarked on The Baseball Insiders.
Stroman inked a two-year, $37 million contract with the Yankees ahead of the 2024 MLB season. However, the right-hander was left off the playoff roster after going 10-9 with a 4.31 ERA in 30 games.
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