Jordan Montgomery Odds: Red Sox Among Favorites To Land Stud Southpaw

What a 2023 Major League Baseball season it was for Jordan Montgomery.

Montgomery started the campaign in St. Louis, where the Cardinals fielded one of the worst teams in all of baseball. The veteran left-hander was one of the few bright spots for the Cards, who moved Montgomery to Texas before the trade deadline.

The 30-year-old went on a tear from there. Montgomery went 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA and 3.27 FIP to round out the regular season. And he provided more of the same in the playoffs, logging a 3-1 record (six starts) with a 2.90 ERA over 31 total innings en route to Texas’ first World Series championship in franchise history.

Montgomery has set himself up nicely for free agency, and a group of big-market clubs — including the Boston Red Sox — top the betting board to be the eighth-year pro’s next team.

Here’s the full list of next-team odds, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook as of Thursday afternoon:

Texas Rangers +450
Boston Red Sox +550
New York Yankees +550
St. Louis Cardinals +650
New York Mets +800
Los Angeles Dodgers +800
Houston Astros +900
Field (any other team) +900
Baltimore Orioles +1000
Cincinnati Reds +1100
San Francisco Giants +1200
Chicago Cubs +1400
Atlanta Braves +1400
San Diego Padres +1400

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As one of the best starting pitchers on the market this offseason, Montgomery will not come cheap to the Red Sox or any other interested team. But at this point, Boston probably should be willing to make a lucrative, long-term investment in a frontline starter.

Only eight teams saw their starters combine for a higher ERA last season than the Red Sox. Boston’s bullpen also was regularly taxed due to an unreliable rotation, as the club received the fourth-fewest innings from starters in 2023. It probably would be a stretch to call Montgomery a workhorse, but that label isn’t ill-fitting of the southpaw either. He was one of only 17 pitchers in the majors to throw more than 180 frames last season.

Boston also appears to be a big fan of the former New York Yankee. According to MLB.com’s Ian Browne, the Red Sox like Montgomery more than fellow stud free-agent starters Blake Snell and Aaron Nola. Perhaps a dominant postseason run was what tipped the scales for Craig Breslow and company.

Speaking of Breslow, the new Red Sox chief baseball officer in his introductory press conference acknowledged pitching is an area of need for the club and he plans to focus on that area of the roster. Perhaps that improvement effort will start with Montgomery, who potentially could help stabilize Boston’s rotation for years to come.