It's no secret that the Red Sox need to improve their starting rotation if they have any hope of competing in 2024. However, they've done little to address that so far, outside of signing Lucas Giolito. Recent comments lead many to believe Giolito may return to form this season as he's impressed many early in spring training.
Jordan Montgomery has been linked to the Red Sox and would be a welcome sight for a rotation that is very heavy with right-handed pitchers after Boston traded away Chris Sale to Atlanta.
Montgomery is one of many free agents represented by infamous agent Scott Boras still without a job, and that's likely due to the asking price not being in a comfortable place for teams. Fans and players alike are becoming frustrated by waiting for these top-tier talents to be signed as spring training has just begun.
It would seem like the Red Sox were in a favorable position with the season getting closer and the team favoring Montgomery over other free-agent pitching options available. Unfortunately, it seems like Boston doesn't like the asking price for the veteran southpaw.
According to Rob Bradford of WEEI, Boston is "prioritizing" Montgomery over the other options available but is "still waiting for the price to come down." A) Duh. B) Previous reports suggested if Montgomery's price dropped, he'd be more inclined to sign with a contender.
Feeling per sources is Red Sox prioritizing Jordan Montgomery over other potential free agent pitching additions, but still waiting for price to come down
— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) February 23, 2024
That isn't the most encouraging thing to hear especially when the team desperately needs a top arm for their rotation. It seems just like more of the same from the Red Sox, who haven't been able to land any of the top talent from the 2024 free agency class.
While being conscious of the budget is a good thing because teams never know what they'll need during the season, it seems like the front office is being overly cautious. If they want to give fans any hope of a competitive season, they need to pull the trigger.
However, given the team wants the price to come down and Boras' probable unwillingness to budge, that doesn't give a lot of hope of a deal coming to fruition. We don't know any details of what Montgomery is looking for at this point, but MLBTradeRumors projected a six-year, $150 million deal while other reports suggested the lefty was looking for Carlos Rodón money ($162 million over six years).
Monty makes a lot of sense for Boston and his career 3.68 ERA over seven seasons will undoubtedly upgrade a lowly Sox rotation.
Ownership is going to have to decide if it's willing to stretch the budget a bit and give fans any sense of hope that 2024 won't just be a repeat of last year. Though there's outside hope that this team could still defy the odds and be competitive despite the lack of additions by the front office, it's hard to count on that without any tangible evidence that they've gotten better on paper.