South Carolina baseball alum Jordan Montgomery has become one of the top left-handed pitchers in Major League Baseball in recent years. Having now played for the New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers, Montgomery was included on the MLB top-100 lists from both MLB Network and ESPN this offseason even though he, technically, was a free agent.
As of Tuesday night, Jordan Montgomery is a free agent no more as he signed a huge contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks, according to a report from ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan. The deal, one of MLB Free Agency's biggest, will pay him $25 Million this season. A vesting player option could see Montgomery back with the D-Backs for a second year, as well. The contract is pending Montgomery passing a physical.
The move is a big deal in the baseball world as the Diamondbacks' young roster made a run all the way to the World Series last season where they lost to Montgomery and the Texas Rangers. With future superstar Corbin Carroll and perpetually underrated players like Ketel Marte and Christian Walker (who was a teammate of Montgomery's in the South Carolina baseball program) anchoring the lineup, the Diamondbacks hope to be right back in the World Series again in 2024.
In his past two seasons, the man called Gumby has posted career-best numbers in ERA (2023), strikeouts (2023), WHIP (2022), and HR/9 (2023). Playing in an NL West in 2024 that wasn't the best offensive division in baseball last season should allow for Montgomery to continue posting great numbers as he and Zac Gallen lead one of the top 1-2 pitching punches in baseball.
During his South Carolina baseball career, Jordan Montgomery was one of the best ever to wear the garnet and black. The Sumter native was great for his home-state Gamecocks en route to All-SEC honors and a 4th round MLB Draft selection in 2014.