Throughout the offseason, the New York Yankees have been active in the starting pitching market. Gerrit Cole, the current Cy Young Award winner, will be sidelined for “one to two months,” as reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post. MLB Insider Jim Bowden reports that the Yankees are “still involved” in the Jordan Montgomery trade.
Earlier in the offseason, the Yankees entered the Blake Snell sweepstakes. Additionally, they extended an offer to the Chicago White Sox for Dylan Cease. In the end, on March 18, Snell agreed to a $62 million, two-year contract with the San Francisco Giants. March 13 saw the trade of Cease to the San Diego Padres.
There are other teams vying for Montgomery besides the Yankees. Bowden posted on X that his market is “getting competitive” and is finally heating up.
Jordan Montgomery’s Market
Spotrac projects that Montgomery will sign a six-year, $110 million contract. But he might ink a contract like Blake Snell does this close to opening day.
According to Bowden, Montgomery is receiving long-term offers from two teams, as he stated on March 24 on MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM.
According to Bowden, “it’s probably going to happen this week because it has become really competitive.” “Montgomery is not going to necessarily get this short-term deal, as we thought, that Blake Snell and [Cody] Bellinger got, because they have two long-term offers on the table for him.”
Bowden continued by bringing up Montgomery’s suitor, the Baltimore Orioles. He speculates that a component might be the franchise transaction that is about to close. Montgomery might sign with new owner David Rubenstein and “make a mark,” according to Bowden.
According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, although the Yankees appear interested in Montgomery, the 31-year-old might not be keen to rejoin the team.
“Jordan Montgomery, the top free agent still available, is even less certain that he wants to return to The Bronx, so the Yankees will continue to chase starting pitching, but their options are limited,” Heyman said.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Montgomery believes the Yankees may have given up on him when they dealt him to the Cardinals in 2022.
The Yankees Rotation Would Gain Strength From Jordan Montgomery
Edema and inflammation of the nerves are Cole’s ailments, according to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. In his absence, the Yankees will need other players to step up.
In 2023, the 33-year-old took home his first Cy Young Award. Cole has previously placed second in the competition twice. Cole led the American League in innings pitched (209.0), record (15-4), and 2.53 ERA.
For the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals in 2023, Montgomery made 32 starts. In Cole’s absence, the 2023 World Series winner would provide the rotation with a seasoned arm.
In 188.2 innings pitched for the Cardinals and Rangers, Montgomery had an overall 3.20 ERA. But once the Rangers acquired Montgomery on July 30th from the Cardinals, he became a better pitcher. Against the Rangers, Montgomery had a 4-2 record and a 2.79 ERA. Montgomery had a 3-1 record in the postseason, while the Rangers were winning titles.
Nester Cortes will lead the Yankees rotation going forward. With Cole’s injury, Cortes was named to the starting lineup for the first day. Carlos Rodón and Marcus Stroman will pursue him. After overcoming injuries in 2023, Cortes and Rodón will now be crucial players as Cole recovers.
