March 26: Montgomery strikes deal with D-backs (source)
Two days before Opening Day, Jordan Montgomery appears to have found a home. The left-hander has agreed to a deal with the D-backs, pending a physical, a source told MLB.com's Mark Feinsand. The deal is worth a reported $25 million for 2024, and it includes a vesting option for 2025 worth up to $25 million.

Montgomery was the top remaining free agent on the market after 2023 National League Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell reached a two-year deal with the Giants. The left-hander will join a D-backs club that reached the 2023 World Series, falling to Montgomery and the Rangers in five games.

The signing helps Arizona bolster its rotation after fellow free-agent addition Eduardo Rodriguez was sidelined with a lat strain during Spring Training. Montgomery will need time to stretch out before joining the rotation but will immediately become an impact starter for the 2023 NL pennant winners.

The deal is far from the seven-year pact Montgomery was said to be seeking, and the D-backs were never considered a major suitor for him for most of the offseason. But with Opening Day looming, Arizona struck to land the biggest fish left on the market.