Alright, so I got curious the other day about Jordan Montgomery, you know, the pitcher they call “Gumby” or “Monty.” Specifically, I wanted to get a handle on what his asking price might be looking like. It’s one of those things in baseball – a player’s value, what teams are willing to pay – that always gets me thinking.
My Starting Point: Remembering the Diamondbacks Deal
So, I started to dig in. My first thought was, “Didn’t he just sign with the Arizona Diamondbacks not too long ago?” That felt like the most recent big news before any current speculation. I seemed to recall it being a shorter-term thing, maybe a one-year deal. That’s often what happens when players are trying to build up their value or coming off something uncertain.
I spent a bit of time looking through some sports news archives. It’s amazing what you can find if you just search back a bit. And yeah, I found it. He signed with the D-backs just before Opening Day last year. It was a one-year contract, $25 million. That’s a pretty hefty sum for a year, tells you there was some real expectation there.
The Nitty-Gritty of that Contract
But here’s where it got interesting. Contracts are rarely just simple numbers. This one-year, $25MM deal had a vesting player option for 2025. I had to read up on that a bit. Basically, it meant if he hit certain targets, he could choose to stick around for another year at a set price. The reports I found said if he made just ten starts, he’d unlock a $20MM player option. And if he got to 18 starts, that option could go up to $22.5MM. Turns out, he did make enough starts to hit that higher value for the option.
Then Came the Curveballs
Now, just because a player can trigger an option doesn’t always mean it’s straightforward. I then came across news that Montgomery had a bit of a rough go during the season. The articles mentioned he “struggled throughout the season” and even “finished the year in the bullpen.” That’s never a great sign when you’re heading towards a decision point on your contract or looking for a new one. It makes you think, “Okay, that $20-22.5MM option, is it still looking good for the team, or even for him if he thought he could get more elsewhere?”
And then, the really tough news hit. I saw the headlines: Jordan Montgomery to have Tommy John surgery. Man, that’s a blow. Confirmed he’d miss the season, injury to his elbow. That changes everything, absolutely everything, when you’re talking about an asking price.
So, What About That “Asking Price” Now?
This is where my whole initial quest to find a simple “asking price” went out the window. After a season that didn’t go super smoothly and then a major surgery like Tommy John, the conversation completely shifts. That $25 million he got from the Diamondbacks? That was when he was healthy and coming off some decent years.
He actually did trigger that player option for 2025. And honestly, after a tough season followed by news of Tommy John surgery, that was the totally obvious move for him. Why test free agency when you’re facing a long recovery? Securing that guaranteed money, even if it was less than his previous year’s salary, makes all the sense in the world.
So, if we’re talking about his “asking price” after that option year, or if that option hadn’t been there, it’s a whole different beast. There isn’t really an “asking price” in the traditional sense when a player is recovering from Tommy John. Teams will be looking at:
- How long is the recovery?
- What’s his age? (He’s in his early 30s).
- What was his performance like before the injury really took hold?
It becomes less about what he’s asking for and more about what a team is willing to gamble. It’ll likely be a deal with a lower base salary, maybe with incentives based on when he returns and how he performs. That previous $25 million figure? You can forget seeing that kind of number for a little while, at least until he’s back on the mound and showing he’s the same pitcher.
So yeah, my journey to find a straightforward “asking price” ended up being more about understanding all the stuff that goes into how a player’s value gets hammered by injuries and performance. It’s a tough business, that’s for sure.
