Cubs emerge as dark horse candidate for Jordan Montgomery |
For all the hatred that Scott Boras has taken this offseason, and rightfully so, maybe the relationship between him and Jed Hoyer is better than anyone thought. In fact, he could single-handedly be the reason why the Cubs are not only in on Jordan Montgomery but are starting to become a legitimate dark horse to add his services next season. That would be a massive get for this franchise and one that would instantly put them as the favorites in the NL Central.
Most of the talk surrounding Montgomery this offseason has been about the Texas Rangers and Boston Red Sox, with Boston being the favorite for a long time. That especially became the focus after Texas pulled out of the Montgomery race as it appeared to be Boston or no one. Leave it to the Cubs to sign Cody Bellinger to a three-year 80 million dollar deal to not only open the flood gates, but to put them in a position to land Montgomery. Less than a week after adding Bellinger, Matt Chapman signed a similar deal with the San Francisco Giants, as he, too, was given an opt-out heavy deal. That appears to be where the market is heading, and with Blake Snell turning down a five-year, 150 million-dollar deal from the Yankees, the attention is back on Montgomery. Although the odds are that he signs a long-term deal with Boston, having the Cubs rumored is key as they could potentially give him a deal similar to Bellinger. That would mean it is basically a one-year deal with plenty of opt-outs, which could act as a win-win for both sides. During the Bellinger press conference, Hoyer joked with Boras about having his other client at the press conference to sign a contract. While most thought that meant nothing or even was a shot at Boras, that is far from the truth. The other player that Hoyer was referencing was Montgomery. He has been talking to Boras about Montgomery for several weeks, and those talks are starting to pick up more steam. Although the Cubs have flirted with the idea of adding Montgomery this offseason, no formal offer has been made—at least not yet. Could one be coming? Perhaps, as the deal makes sense for both sides. A short-term deal gets Montgomery in an organization where he can start preparing for the upcoming season. Should he struggle, he still has the financial security to come back, and should he dominate, he could test the market once again. "I've had two teams change their minds about what they want to do," Boras said to ESPN. "You find that to be true because we're in spring training. "People think that you get a lot of phone calls and you turn a lot of things down. When you're dealing with elite players, they have elite values. You don't get a lot of phone calls. You get really almost nothing for months. "When the need arises, then all of a sudden you get the calls because they've made the decisions to consider acquiring an elite talent. Only then do you have things to consider and evaluate. I don't offer contracts, teams do. You don't hear from them until that need arises." For the Cubs, adding him will help solidify the rotation for the next several years, as there are still some questions about who the No. 5 starter would be. Granted, Montgomery wouldn't be the No.5, but adding him means Jordan Wicks would be heading to AAA as everyone else in the rotation would slide down a slot. Montgomery has always been a solid middle-of-the-rotation type of an arm, but injuries have derailed his career at times. It has been the last few years that he has turned his career around, as he is now 38-34 with a 3.68 ERA. That includes 25 wins the past three seasons with a 10-11 mark in 2023 to go with a 3.20 ERA. Those numbers are solid, but his performance in the postseason caught everyone's attention and has him seeking the deal he is looking for. With Jacob DeGrom and Max Scherzer missing some of the postseason with injuries, it was up to the rest of the rotation to step up. Montgomery not only stepped up but also took it upon himself to be the best pitcher in the playoffs, especially in the World Series. If you can get this type of player when he is healthy, it makes you wonder why it is taking so long to add him. The odd part about this is that Hoyer said that this team wouldn't add any more to the payroll this spring. However, knowing Hoyer and how he keeps things close to the vest may be his way of taking the Cubs off the MLB radar for Montgomery. With other reports circling that the Red Sox have started to map out a Plan B if they don't get Montgomery, perhaps there is more to this than anyone realizes. Adding Montgomery would be the exclamation point on the Cubs' offseason, which, although it took awhile to get done, will go down as a successful one. Making a move like that signals that this team not only believes they can win now but for the forseeable future, as the Cubs want to get back to the World Series.
