Insider Could See Red Sox Signing Jordan Montgomery If Paired With Notable Trade

Boston is in a state of flux

Scott Neville | Feb 9, 2024

Insider Could See Red Sox Signing Jordan Montgomery If Paired With Notable Trade /

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Boston Red Sox

The Boston Red Sox still have a couple of big-ticket items on their wish list with less than a week until pitchers and catchers report to spring training.

While that normally would be an issue at this juncture, there is a rare amount of impact players still available. Before the Red Sox dive into the top of the market, however, they first might have to remove a notable player from their roster.

While determining which teams could sneak into the race for one of the top free agents available, MLB.com's Jon Morosi put Boston in the conversation under one stipulation.

"The Red Sox could fit this description, too, but only if they’re able to clear payroll by moving (Kenley) Jansen’s contract," Morosi wrote Thursday.

The top four free agents are outfielder Cody Bellinger, third baseman Matt Chapman plus southpaws Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery.

Of that group, he's specifically talking about Montgomery, which was brought up earlier, with the same caveat.

Jansen is owed $16 million for the upcoming season -- the final year of his contract with the Red Sox -- so a trade could create some serious flexibility for the upcoming season.

However, the Red Sox are not strapped for cash and would just be doing this to appease principal owner John Henry -- a once esteemed leader who has become immensely cheap in recent years for reasons unknown.

Red Sox chief baseball officer Craig Breslow has to play by his rules no matter how unreasonable they are, and for that reason, he should make this move in a heartbeat. Montgomery and a mid-level prospect for Jansen is a no-brainer.

It's a shame that after resetting the luxury tax last season the Red Sox are still pinching pennies but that does not mean Breslow cannot add impact players and build a competitive roster before Opening Day.

That mission does become more challenging if every addition requires a subtraction as well -- which has been the case thus far.

More MLB: Padres Reportedly Interested In Red Sox's Jarren Duran Amid Trade Rumors

Published Feb 9, 2024

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu