Diamondbacks owner Tom Kendrick stated that he is the one responsible for signing pitcher Jordan Montgomery, who did not perform well this season after joining Arizona with a large free-agent contract.
The defending National League champion Diamondbacks did not make the playoffs, finishing the regular season with an 89-73 record, tying with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. However, the Mets and Braves had the advantage in tiebreakers since they won the season series and secured wild-card spots.
As the Diamondbacks looked back on the season, Kendrick told Arizona Sports on Monday that he was the one who pushed for Montgomery’s signing, who had previously helped the Texas Rangers defeat Arizona in the World Series.
Kendrick expected much more from Montgomery, who had an 8-7 record with a 6.23 ERA after signing a one-year, $25 million deal.
“If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy that should be blamed,” Kendrick said. “Because I brought it to (the front office’s) attention. I pushed for it.
They agreed to it — it wasn’t in our game plan. You know when he was signed — right at the end of spring training. Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did.
It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I’m the perpetrator of that.”
The 31-year-old left-handed pitcher signed the contract in March but missed nearly a month of the season due to a knee injury. He ended the season with 83 strikeouts in 117 innings after being moved to the bullpen.
