Arizona Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks and starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery have had quite the rocky relationship in a short time together. In the wake of Montgomery's struggles this past season, owner Ken Kendrick said that signing the veteran pitcher ahead of the 2024 season to a one-year, $25 million deal—with a $22.5 million player option for the 2025 campaign—was a mistake.

"Looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did," he said during an interview on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM after the season. "It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I'm the perpetrator of that."

If those comments were meant to sour the relationship to the point that Montgomery chose to opt out, the ploy didn't work, as Montgomery exercised his option earlier in the week. On Wednesday, general manager Mike Hazen spoke to reporters regarding the situation.

"I will say that he was extremely accountable to the season he had, and I respect that," he said of Montgomery. "I tried to be accountable toward some of the areas we could have maybe helped him a little better. The dynamic was the dynamic, it is what it is."

The Diamondbacks could always look to trade Montgomery, with other starting pitching options like Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Eduardo Rodriguez, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson. But Montgomery's contract, paired with a 6.23 ERA in 2024 across 21 starts (25 total appearances), could make that a difficult deal to pull off.

It is, of course, possible that Montgomery will revert back to the very solid starter he was between the 2021-23 campaign and the angst of the offseason will fade. It is very rare that a team owner publicly bashes his own player that vociferously, however, and a change of scenery might be the best scenario for all involved.

Coming off the best season of his career with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Joc Pederson is going to test free agency for the second straight year.

Per ESPN's Jesse Rogers, Pederson declined his mutual option for 2025.

Pederson originally signed a one-year deal with Arizona that included a mutual option worth $14 million for 2025. He is owed $3 million in a buyout as part of his option.

After reaching the World Series in 2023, the Diamondbacks were looking for more production out of the designated hitter spot in the lineup. They received the third-worst production from their DHs by FanGraphs' wins above replacement (minus-1.3) with a .218/.286/.390 slash line.

The addition of Pederson dramatically improved Arizona's offense. He hit .275/.393/.515 with 23 homers in 449 plate appearances. His 3.0 fWAR is the third-highest single-season total of his career after 2015 when he was an All-Star and 2016.

Even though Pederson has played first base and all three outfield spots in his career, he is best utilized as a bat-only player.

The 32-year-old Pederson is also at his best in a platoon because he can crush right-handed pitching with a .844 career OPS against them, a stark difference compared to his .630 mark against lefties. Those splits were better in 2024 (.923 to .749), but will probably be more of an outlier given his career-long totals.

Given how weak this free-agent class is in terms of power hitters after Juan Soto, who is in his own tier, Pederson should be able to secure a multiyear deal from a team this offseason.

It was a tough day for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Their postseason fate was out of their hands heading into Monday when the doubleheader between the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves took place. If either of those teams swept the other, then Arizona would be heading to Milwaukee for the Wild Card Round.

Instead, the worst-case scenario of the teams splitting wins occurred, leaving the Diamondbacks out of the postseason.

In reaction, the Arizona X account posted a series of sad emojis:

The social media account was active throughout the day, even showing support for the Mets after they won the first game and had a chance to eliminate the Braves in the second.

It wasn't all silly posts for the account following the day's result, though, as the D-backs also expressed appreciation for the fans who stuck with the team throughout the season.

This was the sixth time in seven seasons that they have missed out on the postseason. However, the World Series run last season softens the blow a little, and the current core forming around Corbin Carroll shows that the team is trending in the right direction.

Arizona finished the 2024 season with an 89-73 record. It's the franchise's highest win total since going 93-69 in 2017.

Jordan Montgomery is unhappy with the way his former agent handled free agency talks last offseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher was candid when speaking about how last offseason went and didn't hold back about his ex-agent, Scott Boras.

"Obviously Boras kind of butchered it, so I'm just trying to move on from the offseason and try to forget it," Montgomery told the Boston Herald (h/t The Athletic).

Montgomery had one of the best seasons of his career during his time with the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers last year. He had a 3.20 ERA with 166 strikeouts, going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA in the postseason to help lead the Rangers to a World Series.

After the big year, he seemed on his way to a long-term, lucrative deal in the offseason, but instead settled for a one-year, $25 million contract with the Diamondbacks that includes a $25 million player option for the 2025 season. He inked the deal just two days before Opening Day.

After Boras "butchered" his deal, Montgomery has the chance to re-enter free agency this offseason in search of something better, but he hasn't been able to repeat his success from last year.

Through 19 starts, Montgomery has 67 strikeouts, a 6.44 ERA and an 8-6 record, far from the numbers he posted last year. His struggles have led to manager Torey Lovullo moving him to the bullpen in favor of Ryne Nelson.

Montgomery will look to finish the year strong and perhaps earn the lucrative contract he feels he deserved last offseason.

The Arizona Diamondbacks acquired left-handed relief pitcher A.J. Puk in a trade with the Miami Marlins on Thursday night, according to ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Passan added that the Marlins are receiving two prospects in return—Deyvison De Los Santos and Andrew Pintar.

In 32 appearances with Miami during the 2024 season, Puk posted a 4.30 ERA and recorded 45 strikeouts compared to 23 walks in 44 innings of work.

The Diamondbacks' National League pennant defense isn't off to a great start, as they currently sit one game back from the final NL wild-card spot with a record of 53-50. Their bullpen struggles have been one of the main culprits, as their relievers rank No. 22 among all MLB teams with a 4.24 ERA.

Puk started the 2024 season in Miami's rotation, although he thrived since he moved back to the bullpen on May 13 following a stint on the injured list. In 28 appearances as a reliever, he owns a 2.08 ERA while allowing an opposing batting average of just .159 (via Baseball Reference).

As for the Marlins, they'll bolster a farm system that ranked No. 29 in Bleacher Report's latest farm system rankings. In the rankings, De Los Santos was considered the No. 2 prospect for the Diamondbacks.

The 21-year-old is known for his prowess at the plate, hitting .325 with a 1.011 OPS in 87 games between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. He's also racked up 28 home runs and 84 RBI.

Pinter wasn't ranked among Arizona's top 10 prospects prior to the move, hitting only .184 with six RBI throughout 38 Double-A at-bats in 2024.

As the Diamondbacks look to make consecutive postseason appearances for the first time since 2002, they fortified their bullpen by acquiring Puk.

MLB scouts are reportedly worried about Arizona Diamondbacks prospect and former No. 2 overall pick Druw Jones' swing, per USA Today's Bob Nightengale.

"Scouts are openly concerned about Diamondbacks prized prospect Druw Jones, who was selected with the No. 2 pick in the 2022 draft, one spot behind Orioles' Jackson Holliday," Nightengale wrote. "They question whether his swing will work at the major league level."

Jones, who will turn 21 later this year, currently plays for the Visalia Rawhide, the Diamondbacks' Single-A affiliate. In 179 at-bats this season, he's recorded four home runs, and 31 RBI with a .279 batting average, .396 on-base percentage, .425 slugging percentage and an .821 on-base plus slugging percentage.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter considers Jones to be the No. 100 MLB prospect and the No. 3 prospect in the Diamondbacks system.

He has had a bit of a rocky start to his career as he suffered a torn labrum in his left shoulder ahead of his first season, keeping him off the field the entire year. In 2023, Jones played just 10 games for the Rawhide before injuring his right quadriceps, forcing him to miss two months. The same season, he had a hamstring injury, which sidelined him for a month.

Now, Jones is looking to stay healthy while also improving his game—primarily his swing.

The Arizona Diamondbacks have placed starting pitcher Zac Gallen on the 15-day injured list with a strained right hamstring, per the Associated Press (via ESPN).

Gallen exited Thursday's game against the New York Mets just six pitches in and returned to Arizona on Friday for an MRI and evaluations from team doctors.

The seven-year veteran has a 3.12 ERA with 60 strikeouts across 57.2 innings pitched. He's recorded a 5-4 record in 11 starts. Gallen has emerged as a top pitcher in the NL, finishing in the top five in Cy Young Award voting the last two seasons. He's coming off a season where he went 17-9 with a 3.47 ERA in 210 innings.

With Gallen now in the IL, the Diamondbacks called up right-handed starter Slade Cecconi. The 24-year-old has appeared in six games this season, posting a 1-4 record with a 6.12 ERA across 32.1 innings pitched.

Coming off their first World Series appearance since 2001, the Diamondbacks have struggled early on this season. Arizona is currently 25-32, sitting in fourth place in the NL West after losing six of its last seven games.

Gallen's injury adds to a growing list of rotation players out of commission. Merrill Kelly has been out since April 15 with a strained right shoulder while Eduardo Rodriguez hasn't played yet this season with a strained left shoulder.

With three pitchers now out of the rotation, the Diamondbacks will look to limit the damage done as they continue to regain their health.

Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery has reportedly dropped Scott Boras as his agent after having to settle for an unexpectedly modest contract in free agency.

According to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel, Montgomery will now be represented by Joel Wolfe and Nick Chanock of Wasserman Sports & Entertainment.

Montgomery went unsigned until the start of the 2023 MLB regular season when he inked a one-year, $25 million deal with Arizona that includes a $25 million option for 2025.

The lefty was widely expected to sign a significantly longer deal worth more money, with McDaniel noting that he had projected a five-year, $106 million contract.

Montgomery was one of four major Boras clients who went unsigned deep into free agency this past offseason, along with pitcher Blake Snell, outfielder Cody Bellinger and third baseman Matt Chapman.

Snell signed a two-year, $62 million deal, including a player opt-out clause after 2024, with the San Francisco Giants, and Chapman signed a three-year, $54 million contract with the Giants. Both deals were inked in March.

In late February, Bellinger agreed to a three-year, $80 million contract with two player opt-outs to return to the Chicago Cubs.

While none of the contracts came close to what was anticipated, it can be argued that Montgomery came out the worst for wear since it was only a one-year deal and he signed later than any of the others.

The 31-year-old veteran spent parts of the first six seasons of his MLB career with the New York Yankees, and he posted a solid 3.94 ERA during that time.

However, he reached the next level following a trade to the St. Louis Cardinals, and he continued to improve after getting traded to the Texas Rangers last season.

In 32 starts split between the Cards and Rangers in 2023, Montgomery went 10-11 with a career-best 3.20 ERA and 166 strikeouts over 188.2 innings.

Monty also posted a 2.90 ERA in six playoff outings, including five starts, helping the Rangers win the World Series.

That type of performance on the big stage would normally command a huge contract on the free-agent market, but Boras may have overplayed his hand.

Now, Montgomery is in the minor leagues ramping up his pitch count in anticipation of his Diamondbacks debut.

Montgomery has a chance to be a key player this season for a D-Backs team that reached the World Series in 2023, but his situation has to be considered a disappointment given what he should have earned with his performance last season.

After the Arizona Diamondbacks 2023 World Series run, the team received some impressive rings for their National League championship.

The rings feature a diamond-studded Diamondbacks logo with "National League Champions" engraved along the top and bottom. The rings each have 41 diamonds, paying homage to the 40-man roster and manager Torey Lovullo. They also have four princess-cut diamonds to represent the four games won in the National League championship series.

The inside of the ring features the Arizona logo along with the three series the Diamondbacks won to claim the National League title. The player side of the ring is engraved with "Embrace the Chaos," which was the team's motto in the postseason, along with a snakeskin print. The team side features another Diamondbacks logo hit and the words "We are the D-Backs."

Arizona had an outstanding run to reach its first World Series since 2001. The Diamondbacks beat the Milwaukee Brewers in two games before sweeping the Los Angeles Dodgers in the divisional series. Arizona won a hard-fought series with the Philadelphia Phillies in seven games before losing to the Texas Rangers in the World Series.

Now the Diamondbacks have a souvenir from an outstanding season, and they'll be looking to grab another ring this year. Arizona is off to a good start in the 2024 series, winning its Opening Day matchup with the Colorado Rockies 16-1.

The feeling around Major League Baseball is the Arizona Diamondbacks got a steal on their reported deal with Jordan Montgomery.

Per Jon Heyman of the New York Post and MLB Network, Montgomery's contract is for one year and $25 million with a $25 million vesting option for 2025 if he makes 10 starts this season.

Appearing on SportsCenter on Wednesday morning, ESPN's Buster Olney reported the "stunned" response from within MLB was a feeling of "what happened?" with Montgomery:

"What an incredible pickup for the Diamondbacks, getting a lefthanded veteran coming off that career season. People around baseball were stunned at the dollar figures on this with one year guaranteed at $25 million because there had been talk during the wintertime that his camp, his representative Scott Boras, was looking for something in the Aaron Nola range, about $170 million. It is a long way down for the Diamondbacks to get a pitcher at this price. People were texting me last night, 'Can you believe this? What happened?' Think about this, two Boras clients coming off career years, Blake Snell, Cy Young award winner last year in the National League, and Montgomery, combined got about $50 million less than Tyler Glasnow. That makes no sense."

Other than Shohei Ohtani's free agency, the most intriguing storyline in MLB during the offseason was Boras' opportunity to cash in big for his clients. The super-agent represents Montgomery, Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman.

MLB Trade Rumors' free-agent predictions list from November had those four players signing contracts worth a combined $764 million. All four players went unsigned until Feb. 28 when Bellinger agreed to a deal to return to the Chicago Cubs.

The total value of the contracts all four players agreed to wound up being worth $221 million.

Montgomery's resume doesn't stand out like Snell's, who has two Cy Young awards, but he's been extremely reliable over the past three seasons. The 31-year-old has a 3.48 ERA over 524.1 innings since the start of 2021. His 94 starts are tied for the sixth-most in MLB during that span.

There seemed to be no shortage of suitors for Montgomery. He was connected to the New York Yankees, New York Mets, Boston Red Sox, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Cardinals at various points during the offseason.

Instead, the Diamondbacks were able to wait out the market and add another quality starter to their rotation. They signed Eduardo Rodriguez to a four-year, $80 million deal in December.

The NL West is shaping up to be extremely competitive in 2024, led by the Los Angeles Dodgers with Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. The Diamondbacks are the reigning NL champs; the San Diego Padres added Dylan Cease to their rotation; and the San Francisco Giants upgraded their roster by signing Chapman, Snell, Jorge Soler and Jung Hoo Lee.