Angels Linked to World Series Winning Pitcher From AL West Rival

Could the Halos land this lefty ace?

With less than a month remaining before pitchers and catchers report to spring training, the Angels are still in the market for a starting pitcher. They have been linked to a handful of top arms, including World Series champion Jordan Montgomery.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter believes a fit between the Halos and Montgomery is in the cards. 

The list of teams with money to spend and a need in the starting rotation has steadily dwindled as the offseason has progressed, leaving a limited number of potential landing spots for Jordan Montgomery given his expected asking price of over $100 million.

Outside of adding Zach Plesac, Luis García and Adam Cimber on low-cost deals, the Angels have done little of note this offseason to counter the loss of Shohei Ohtani in free agency.

Adding Montgomery to a starting rotation that also includes Reid Detmers, Griffin Canning, Patrick Sandoval and Tyler Anderson would make the staff a sneaky strength.

(per Joel Reuter via Bleacher Report)

Montgomery is coming off a solid ending to the 2023 season. Not only did he help propel the Halos' division rival, the Texas Rangers, to a World Series victory, he might have landed himself a big contract. 

Montgomery, 31, finished the 2023 season with a 2.79 ERA, 58 strikeouts, 160 ERA+, 3.27 FIP, and a 1.09 WHIP in 11 starts for the Rangers across 67.2 innings. 

The sample size is small, but Montgomery has never posted an ERA higher than 3.88 over a full season. When healthy, his track record suggests a high floor. He's also coming off a 2023 season that saw him post a career high in innings (188.2 in the regular season, 31 in postseason) and a career low in ERA (3.20).

It's no secret the Halos need a solid starting pitcher, and Montgomery fits that bill.