On March 26, the months-long conjecture on the 2024 destiny of the current World Series winner, Jordan Montgomery, came to an end.
Instead of joining the Boston Red Sox, the left-hander inked a one-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks. In the past, Montgomery desired a long-term deal, but he had trouble finding a team that would match his offer.
In the weeks before his signing, Montgomery sensed that he would soon suffer the same fate as many of Scott Boras’ other clients, who were forced to settle for less than they had intended to sign for. The player desired to play for a contender if he was going to take a short-term contract for 2024. That desire seemed to be satiated by signing with the team he faced in the World Series just months before. The security afforded by a Red Sox contract would not have been the same.
But all hope isn’t lost for Boston. Sox fans and the organization know that 2024 will not be Boston’s year, but the team has played better than expected in spring training. The regular season is a different beast, but if the Red Sox can continue their spring training success into the season, they could set themselves up as winners next year.
The Red Sox need to play well this year to potentially sign Jordan Montgomery next season
If Montgomery chooses to opt out of his deal with Arizona, as he most likely will, he could become a free agent once more the following season. Monty will have again positioned himself well for free agency bidding if the Snakes are able to make another deep postseason run with him leading the charge. He won’t be able to opt out unless he has a terrible season loaded with injuries and needs to regain his worth in 2025.
Next year, the Red Sox might be able to sign Montgomery without exceeding the first luxury tax threshold—not that we think Boston’s multibillionaire owners should prioritize that.) The contracts for Chris Martin and Kenley Jansen will no longer be active, freeing up more than $20 million.
The Red Sox will need to play if Montgomery wants to play in Boston. That might be challenging in a stacked American League East, but if the Red Sox of 2021 showed us anything, it’s that occasionally, pure luck can carry you far.
Boston was never going to be successful in 2024, but in November, they can turn things around with a creative marketing aimed at luring free players. There’s still potential for the franchise to spend big money and sign big names to play for the Sox in the future.
