A former member of the St. Louis Cardinals will soon receive compensation through free agency.
Jordan Montgomery, a former starting pitcher for the Cardinals, is expected to be among the most sought-after free agents this offseason and could potentially sign a deal worth more than $100 million, as reported by ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel.
“Projected Contract: 5 years, $106 million ($21.2M average annual value),” said McDaniel. As a fourth-round selection out of South Carolina who never cracked the top 100 and doesn’t throw very hard or strike out a lot of batters, Montgomery went unnoticed for a long time. He has already defied expectations by starting 140 major league games and delivering over $100 million in value during his cost-controlled years. With a career year of 4.3 WAR, a career-high 188⅔ innings, and another 31.0 innings of 2.90 ERA postseason relief en route to a World Series ring, Montgomery has been on the rise recently.
In contrast to nearly all other starting pitchers, Montgomery’s velocity increased over the course of the previous five seasons in the major leagues, going from 90.4 to 93.4 mph, and his curveball is among the best in the game. Montgomery is most likely not the player for teams looking to win the WAR-per-dollar ROI derby: For a soon-to-be 31-year-old lefty with a medium strikeout rate who just finished his best year ever while also taking on the largest workload, the models won’t suggest nine figures.”
Montgomery’s 2023 campaign was excellent. He was traded to the Texas Rangers after starting the season with St. Louis. In addition to impressing in the postseason with the Rangers en route to a World Series championship, Montgomery finished with a 3.20 ERA over 32 starts.
Rumor has it that the Cardinals may try to reunite with Montgomery this offseason, and if they do, they will undoubtedly need to spend a lot of money to win him back.
