The Arizona Diamondbacks just missed making the playoffs after ending the 2024 regular season with an 89-73 record. Even though they did better than in 2023, they couldn’t hold on to their National League championship title.
One significant decision they made was signing left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery to a one-year, $25 million deal with a player option for 2025, just two days before Opening Day.
However, Montgomery didn’t have a proper spring training after a strong postseason performance with the Texas Rangers, who were the defending World Series champions at the time.
Unfortunately, he struggled throughout 2024, finishing with an 8-7 record and a high 6.23 ERA in his 25 starts.
Kerry Miller from Bleacher Report reassessed the signing and gave it an F grade.
“When the Diamondbacks signed Jordan Montgomery on March 29, it felt like they had hit an 11th-hour jackpot, adding to an already solid rotation a World Series champion who entered free agency looking like a sure thing to sign a big contract,” Miller wrote.
“Rather than becoming the final piece of their championship puzzle, though, it’d be pretty easy to argue that Montgomery was the primary reason Arizona, which finished in a three-way tie for the NL’s final two spots with Atlanta and New York at 89-73, missed the postseason.”
It seems the signing didn’t turn out well for Arizona, and owner Ken Kendrick expressed his disappointment by calling it a “horrible decision.”
Montgomery is likely to choose the remaining year of his contract to try and rebuild his value after the disappointing 2024 season.
Maybe a fresh start next season will help him improve. But right now, it’s clear that this move hasn’t worked out for the Diamondbacks.
