'It’s a super talented group': D-backs introduce Montgomery

PHOENIX -- At their Spring Training home of Salt River Fields, the D-backs executive offices of managing general partner Ken Kendrick, team president/CEO Derrick Hall and general manager Mike Hazen are clustered close together. That proximity makes face-to-face communication a staple when all three arrive early in the morning.

As Spring Training began to wind down late last week, a topic of conversation was free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery. With third baseman Matt Chapman and lefty Blake Snell signing short-term deals with the Giants, Arizona's braintrust wondered if Scott Boras, the agent for Chapman and Snell, would consider doing something similar with Montgomery.

“You watch the market evolve and it moved more slowly than maybe I think any of us would have expected with the top-of-the-line free agents, of which [Montgomery] clearly was one,” Kendrick said. “And we're down to near the end of spring, obviously, and he's still available, and so we thought it was worth making an effort to approach them and we did and it worked out for both of us.”

The deal came together relatively quickly after that as Montgomery signed a one-year, $25 millon deal with a vesting player option for 2025.

If Montgomery starts 10 games this year, his 2025 contract option will vest at $20 million. If he makes 18 starts, the vesting option is worth $22.5 million, and if he makes 23 or more starts, it vests at $25 million. Montgomery can also opt out of the deal for '25 if he makes 10 starts in '24.

It’s a short-term deal and Montgomery is likely to, once again, test the free-agent market should he put up similar numbers in 2024 that he did in '23. Still, the signing is a significant investment for the D-backs, who already had the highest Opening Day payroll in franchise history before adding Montgomery. Arizona, however, is able to support that payroll thanks to the extra revenue it received during last year’s run to the World Series, as well as the subsequent effect on season tickets and single-game tickets for this year.

In 2023, the D-backs drew 1.9 million fans, and they are hopeful that they might be able to push that number to 2.5 million this year -- a figure the club hasn't hit since the '04 season.

“We would like to think we could get to that level,” Kendrick said. “Eighty-one games, it's really hard to exactly project how it's going to go, but I think if the team plays well, I think we have enthusiasm in our fan base and we want to reward them for their enthusiasm. That's kind of what this is.”

Boras said that Montgomery had multiyear offers from other teams, but chose the D-backs because he wanted to play for a winning team.

“It’s a super talented group of guys, you can tell just by the way they ran all the way through the playoffs,” Montgomery said. “It's a tight-knit group and good winning culture. Wanted to be a part of it.”

Montgomery was not on the Opening Day roster and will accept a Minor League assignment to open the season. That accomplishes a couple of things.

First, it gives Montgomery some game action, which he didn’t get during Spring Training. He’s been working out in Florida and throwing in sim games, but an assignment to Triple-A Reno will ensure that he's ready for big league competition. By starting the season in the Minors, he will not be eligible for a free-agent qualifying offer if he elects free agency after the season.

Montgomery is targeting around April 19 for a return to the Majors, and the D-backs figure he will get three starts in the Minors before joining Arizona.

For now, the rotation features Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Tommy Henry, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. In a few weeks, that unit stands to add Montgomery and injured lefty Eduardo Rodriguez, who could be ready to return from a strained lat muscle.