Rumored Phillies target Jordan Montgomery is off the board.
Montgomery is reportedly signing with the Arizona Diamondbacks on a one-year, $25 million deal and a vesting player option worth up to $25 million for 2025 based on the number of starts he makes. Jeff Passan of ESPN was the first to report the agreement. Bob Nightengale of USA Today had the terms of the deal.
After upsetting the Phillies in seven games in last year’s National League Championship Series, the Diamondbacks have put together a solid offseason, adding Eduardo Rodriguez, Joc Pederson, Eugenio Suarez and re-signing Lourdes Gurriel Jr along with adding Montgomery. Rodriguez will miss the start of the year with a lat strain. The D-Backs now boast one of the best rotations in baseball, with Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly at the top along with Montgomery, Rodriguez when he’s healthy and Brandon Pfaadt.
The Phillies reportedly had interest in Montgomery on a short-term deal in February. Even with the news that Taijuan Walker will miss the start of the season with a shoulder injury, Dave Dombrowski poured cold water on the idea of pursuing another starter.
A Montgomery signing would have pushed the Phillies over the third luxury tax tier, a price the team seemingly did not want to pay this season. The Phillies will likely be over the third tier starting in 2025, when Zack Wheeler’s record $42 million-a-year salary kicks in. Penalties for going over the third tier include the following year’s first-round pick getting moved back 10 spots along with a surcharge of up to 95%.
They will instead rely on Spencer Turnbull, who parlayed a strong spring into a spot in the rotation.
We’ll see if the decision to pass on a proven playoff starter in Montgomery proves costly.
The National League loaded up on talent this offseason. Fifteen of MLB Trade Rumors’ top 16 free agents have all signed with NL teams. The NL West alone has added Shohei Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, Matt Chapman, Dylan Cease and now Montgomery.
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