Jordan Montgomery Trade Would Be Smart Gamble for Washington Nationals
The Washington Nationals have been fairly quiet so far this offseason, despite some needs on the team.
After a 71-win season in 2024, the Nationals entered the offseason with some needs to improve their team. When looking at the Washington roster, their strength is clearly in their young and talented lineup.
Players like James Wood, Dylan Crews, CJ Abrams, and Luis Garcia Jr. all look like building blocks for the franchise for years to come. However, while they do still have some holes that would be good to address this offseason, adding a starting pitcher might be the top priority.
Last season, the pitching staff was young. While there were some bright spots, there was also a ton of inconsistency.
Adding a veteran to the rotation feels like the top priority for Washington, but they have yet to do so.
In free agency, the starting pitcher market has been extremely expensive. For a Nationals team that seems to be hesitant to spend long-term this offseason, it makes options that could improve the team slim.
However, with the trade market also being hot so far this offseason, one player who could make sense is Jordan Montgomery of the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In 2023, the southpaw had a career-year with the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, as he went on to win the World Series with the Rangers. With both teams combined, Montgomery totaled a 10-11 record, 3.22 ERA, and pitched 188.2 innings.
The free-agent market was a strange one last winter, and Montgomery was a victim of it, as he didn’t get nearly the deal he was hoping for. He ended up signing with the Diamondbacks late in the game, and it might have hurt his ability to pitch in 2024. Last year, he had a dreadful season with a 8-7 record and 6.23 ERA.
However, with a player option on his deal that he signed, he wisely decided to opt in and will be making $22.5 million. Arizona’s owner was outspoken about the regret he had about signing Montgomery, but he is still on the team.
For the Nationals, even though Montgomery didn’t have a good season in 2024, he has been a good pitcher in the past. Since the Diamondbacks would certainly want him gone, Washington could get a starting pitcher on a discount that is just one season removed from a 3.20 ERA and nearly 200 innings pitched.
If Arizona eats a decent chunk of his contract, trading for the southpaw would be worth the risk.
