Alex Anthopoulos has built his career as the Braves’ GM by obtaining exceptionally skilled players who are being underestimated due to various reasons.
At times, it is because of the player’s past injuries, as was the case last season when the Braves traded for Chris Sale, who is expected to win the Cy Young award for the National League. In different cases, Anthopoulos notices qualities in a player that other GMs haven’t thought about. Just like Reynaldo Lopez, who was given a chance to start games by the Braves, he proved himself by achieving a 1.99 ERA in 25 starts.
But often, Alex Anthopoulos simply chooses to take risks on players who have previously been successful but are currently experiencing a decline in performance, especially when the risk does not involve a lengthy commitment. This is true for Jordan Montgomery as he has decided to stay with the Diamondbacks for next season, choosing to take up his $22.5 million contract.
Mongomery’s choice follows closely on the heels of owner Ken Kendrick’s harsh comments about the 31-year-old pitcher after the Diamondbacks were eliminated on the last day of the regular season.
Kendrick told Arizona Sports 98.7 via Noah Furtado of The Athletic that if someone wants to point fingers for Montgomery being on the Diamondbacks, he is the one to blame. I made them aware of it and advocated for it. They decided to go along with it. It wasn’t part of our strategy. In hindsight, it was a bad choice to invest that money in a guy who performed so poorly. This season, it is our greatest error in terms of talent.
Teams within organizations typically strive to cultivate an ideal working relationship, although it is doubtful that Montgomery would disagree with this goal. This year, he performed extremely poorly, with a 6.23 ERA in 117.0 innings pitched.
It is uncertain what lies ahead for Jordan Montgomery. The Diamondbacks might have confidence that, after a complete and injury-free offseason, he could recover and live up to the expectations they had when they signed him last year. Or Arizona could offer him for trade and attempt to offload as large a portion of his salary as they can.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicts that both parties will be involved in trade negotiations this offseason, with the Braves trading two minor-league pitchers to the Diamondbacks for Jordan Montgomery, who is expected to replace Max Fried in 2025.
Bowden writes that Jordan Montgomery exercised his $22.5 million player option and was traded by the Diamondbacks to the Braves for two minor-league pitchers, with Arizona agreeing to cover half of his salary.
The Braves do not have a clearly defined requirement for a starting pitcher, regardless of whether Max Fried leaves in free agency. Spencer Strider is preparing to come back from a torn UCL, while Charlie Morton is considering the possibility of extending his career for another season. Adding Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach to the mix would make their rotation one of the strongest in baseball.
Yet, the Braves have experienced significant injuries to their starting pitchers before each of the past three postseasons. If Charlie Morton chooses to stop playing, they might need to look for another well-known pitcher, and Jordan Montgomery fits the criteria that Alex Anthopoulos likes to focus on. Next season he will turn 32 years old, and up until last season, he had been one of the most reliable left-handed starting pitchers in baseball. Furthermore, Montgomery’s one-year contract is particularly attractive. If successful, it has the potential to be another great acquisition for Alex Anthopoulos. If it fails, the organization will not be held back in the future.
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