Red Sox ‘Prioritizing’ Top Starting Pitcher Over Other Free Agents: Report
Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery has become the top priority for the Boston Red Sox, according to a new February 23 report from Red Sox beat writer Rob Bradford of WEEI.
“Feeling per sources is Red Sox prioritizing Jordan Montgomery over other potential free agent pitching additions, but still waiting for price to come down,” Bradford posted on X.
Montgomery is viewed as the second-best free agent starting pitcher remaining behind only reigning Cy Young Award winner Blake Snell. Both Montgomery and Snell are part of the nicknamed “Boras Four” alongside Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman as clients of Scott Boras who all remain unsigned with MLB’s Opening Day just five weeks away.
For the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers last season, Montgomery combined to make 32 regular season starts with an exceptional 3.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 166 strikeouts in 188.2 innings pitched. The 31-year-old left-hander came up clutch in the postseason, pitching to a 3-1 record with an ERA of 2.90 and 17 strikeouts in six appearances to help the Rangers win their first World Series championship in franchise history.
Montgomery pitched his first five and a half big-league seasons with Boston’s AL East rival New York Yankees, before he was traded from the Bronx to St. Louis around the 2022 trade deadline. He was then dealt again at the 2023 trade deadline from the Cardinals to the Rangers.
