As the Braves’ general manager, Alex Anthopoulos has built his career by bringing in highly skilled players who, for various reasons, are undervalued.
At times, it’s due to a player’s history with injuries, as we saw last season when the Braves picked up Chris Sale, who is now on the verge of being named the National League Cy Young award winner. In other cases, it’s because Anthopoulos identifies potential in players that other general managers might overlook. This was evident with Reynaldo Lopez, whom the Braves trusted with a starting role again, and he responded with an impressive 1.99 ERA over 25 starts.
More often than not, Alex Anthopoulos leans toward betting on players with proven success who are coming off a down year, especially if it doesn’t involve a long-term commitment. This is the case with Jordan Montgomery heading into this offseason, as he recently opted into his contract with the Diamondbacks for next year, set to pay him $22.5 million.
Montgomery’s decision comes only a month after owner Ken Kendrick made some sharp criticisms of the 31-year-old pitcher following the Diamondbacks’ elimination on the last day of the regular season.
“If anyone wants to blame someone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, I’m the one to blame,” Kendrick said on Arizona Sports 98.7 on Monday, as reported by Noah Furtado of *The Athletic*. “I brought it up, I pushed for it. They agreed, but it wasn’t in our game plan… In hindsight, it was a terrible decision to invest that money in a player who performed as poorly as he did. From a talent perspective, it’s our biggest mistake this season.”
That’s hardly the kind of working relationship teams aim to foster within an organization, but it’s unlikely Montgomery would disagree. He struggled immensely this season, posting a disappointing 6.23 ERA over 117 innings.
Jordan Montgomery’s future remains uncertain. The Diamondbacks could hope that a full, healthy offseason might help him return to the form they anticipated when they signed him last year. Alternatively, Arizona might explore trading him to offload as much of his salary as possible.
Both options will be considered this offseason, and Jim Bowden of The Athletic predicts the Braves may get involved, potentially trading two minor-league pitchers to the Diamondbacks for Jordan Montgomery, who would be positioned to replace Max Fried in 2025.
“After exercising his $22.5 million player option, Jordan Montgomery is traded by the Diamondbacks to the Braves for two minor-league pitchers, with Arizona agreeing to cover half of his salary,” Bowden writes.
The Braves don’t have a pressing need for a starting pitcher, regardless of whether Max Fried leaves in free agency. Spencer Strider is expected to come back from a torn UCL, and Charlie Morton is also considering another season. With those two, along with Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez, and Spencer Schwellenbach, their rotation would be as strong as any in baseball.
However, the Braves have faced significant injuries to their starting pitchers in each of the last three postseasons. If Charlie Morton decides to retire, they may look for another high-profile arm, and Jordan Montgomery fits the profile of the type of player Alex Anthopoulos likes to target. He will be 32 years old next season, and prior to last year, he was one of the most reliable left-handed starting pitchers in baseball. Additionally, Montgomery’s contract is particularly attractive since it’s a one-year deal. If it works out, it could be another bargain for Alex Anthopoulos; if it doesn’t, it won’t put a strain on the organization for years to come.
