Arizona Diamondbacks

Left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery has finally found a new home as the free agent agreed to terms with the Arizona Diamondbacks pending a physical, per ESPN's Jeff Passan.

Here's a look at the defending National League pennant winner's updated 2024 rotation and payroll following the move.

Rotation

Earlier Tuesday, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (h/t Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic) that the rotation would consist of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Tommy Henry, Brandon Pfaadt and Ryne Nelson in that order.

Montgomery would presumably replace Nelson, who won a spring training competition to be the fifth starter. Then there's the recently acquired Eduardo Rodriguez, who is starting the season on the injured list with a lat strain. When the southpaw returns, he should replace Henry, who was in competition for a starting gig before Rodriguez was hurt.

That leaves the D-backs with a rotation of Gallen, Kelly, Montgomery, Rodriguez and Pfaadt. One could debate the exact order behind the staff ace in Gallen, but that's the quintet when everyone's healthy.

Rodriguez was notably going to be the No. 3 starter behind Gallen and Kelly, so he figures to either remain at that spot when he returns or drop to fourth in the rotation behind them and Montgomery.

Payroll

Per Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic, Montgomery signed a one-year deal worth $25 million with a vesting player option for a second season. Bob Nightengale of USA Today explained the vesting option:

Nightengale also reported that the Diamondbacks' payroll is now a franchise record of nearly $175 million. Michael Ginnitti, co-founder and editor of Spotrac, added that the team's tax payroll will be $212 million.

After helping the Texas Rangers win the first World Series in franchise history, Jordan Montgomery's long free agency has finally come to an end.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Montgomery agreed to a deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported the deal is worth $25 million for one year, though it includes a $25 million vesting option for the 2025 season.

The deal comes after Heyman reported on March 20 that Montgomery and the New York Yankees had been "back in contact."

This marks the second major addition that Arizona has made to its rotation in free agency. The team previously signed left-hander Eduardo Rodríguez, who will start the season on the injured list, to a four-year, $80 million contract in December.

Montgomery joined the Rangers in a midseason trade with the St. Louis Cardinals. He had the best stretch of his career after the move with a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts.

The 31-year-old was just as good in the playoffs with a 2.90 ERA in six appearances. He was the Rangers' Game 1 starter in the AL Wild Card Series against the Tampa Bay Rays and ALCS against the Houston Astros.

In those two games, Montgomery went 13.1 innings and allowed no runs on 11 hits with 11 strikeouts and one walk.

The Rangers were Montgomery's third different team in the past two seasons. He began his career with the Yankees, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

Montgomery made his MLB debut during the 2017 season. He finished sixth in AL Rookie of the Year voting after posting a 3.88 ERA in 155.1 innings.

Tommy John surgery limited Montgomery to seven starts over the next two seasons. He was back at full strength for the 2020 season that was shortened to 60 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but he struggled with a 5.11 ERA in 10 starts.

Montgomery's career hit its stride starting in 2021 when he made a then-career-high 30 starts. He split the 2022 season between the Yankees and Cardinals, who acquired him prior to the trade deadline.

In 32 starts between the two teams, Montgomery had a 3.48 ERA over 178.1 innings. He's been one of the most durable pitchers in baseball over the past three seasons.

Montgomery is tied for sixth in starts (94) and 17th in innings pitched (524.1) since the start of 2021. He's also 17th in FanGraphs wins above replacement (10.2) among all pitchers during that span.

Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Jake McCarthy is drawing interest around the league ahead of opening day.

Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported that several franchises have "expressed strong interest" in McCarthy, although Arizona isn't desperate to deal him away.

"The Arizona Diamondbacks have been contacted by several teams who have expressed strong interest in left-handed hitting outfielder Jake McCarthy," Nightengale wrote. "The D-backs have rebuffed all attempts so far, but he could be available at some point this summer if they don't have room for him on their 26-man roster."

McCarthy is a career .261 hitter with 12 home runs and 63 RBIs. He is coming off two consecutive 99-game seasons and has displayed some position versatility, playing all three outfield positions and designated hitter in his career.

He has had a solid spring training, with 11 hits in 39 at-bats, but notably missed Arizona's postseason run to the World Series in 2023 with a severe right oblique strain suffered ahead of the team's Wild Card round series.

With other players like Corbin Carroll, Lourdes Gurriel Jr and Joc Pederson occupying the outfielder depth chart, McCarthy could be fighting for major playing time. This could be a contributing factor to his perceived availability, and definitely could remain a trade candidate throughout the season.

Arizona opens the 2024 season March 28 against the Colorado Rockies.

Madison Bumgarner hasn't pitched since last April when the Arizona Diamondbacks released him, but the veteran starter could be eyeing a comeback.

Per USA Today's Bob Nightengale, Bumgarner told friends that he's debating a return to the mound this summer.

"Former World Series hero Madison Bumgarner, who was released last April and is still earning $14 million from the Arizona Diamondbacks this season, told friends that he's contemplating a potential return this summer," Nightengale wrote.

Regardless of whether he pitches or not, Bumgarner will receive $14 million from the Diamondbacks in 2024.

In his last full season in 2022, Bumgarner recorded 30 starts, notching 112 strikeouts and a 4.88 ERA in 158.2 innings pitched.

Bumgarner's time in Arizona came to a close after a dreadful start to the 2023 season. In four starts, he gave up 25 hits, 20 runs and recorded a 10.26 ERA through 16.2 innings pitched. The move to release Bumgarner cost the Diamondbacks $34 million across two years, but it was something they deemed necessary given his struggles.

At 34 years old, Bumgarner could still have plenty of baseball left to play if a team is willing to take a chance on him. If anything, the three-time World Series champion could provide some veteran experience to a young team looking to make a postseason push.

Even if Bumgarner remains unsigned on Opening Day, it's possible he could land a contract at some point during the season.

Veteran outfielder Joc Pederson is on the move after agreeing to a one-year deal with a mutual option for 2025, according to Steve Gilbert of MLB.com. Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported the deal was worth $9.5 million.

Pederson ultimately settled on the $19.7 million qualifying offer with the San Francisco Giants ahead of the 2023 season. ESPN's Jeff Passan reported at the the time he had "explored the free agent market and discussed multiyear deals with teams."

His decision came as a bit of a surprise because he was coming off his best offensive year. He made his second All-Star team while hitting 23 home runs and finishing with a 146 OPS+, per Baseball Reference.

If interested suitors were concerned Pederson would regress to the mean a bit, those fears were well founded. In 121 games, the 31-year-old had a .235/.348/.416 slash line along with 15 home runs and 51 RBI. His 111 OPS+ was a noticeable step back from the previous campaign.

As expected, Pederson had extreme platoon splits, which has been a trend throughout his career. The vast majority of his plate appearances came against right-handers, and he had an .786 OPS in those situations. Against lefties, his OPS fell to .606.

In terms of expectations for 2024, Pederson should be reasonably predictable. He'll terrorize righties and look lost in his limited at-bats when a southpaw is on the mound. His experience at all three outfield positions could come in handy, too, though he hasn't occupied center since 2021.

If anything, the two-time World Series champion could prove to be a good value signing. According to Baseball Savant, he finished in the top nine percent in average exit velocity (92.1 mph) and hard hit percentage (52.2). His expected batting average (.269) also closely mirrored where it was in 2022 (.266).

Pederson continued to hit the ball hard, so encountering a little more luck might have an accompanying effect on his overall production.

Aside from Corbin Carroll and switch hitter Ketel Marte, the reigning National League champions didn't have a ton of punch from the left side of the plate prior to this move. Per Fangraphs, Arizona ranked 22nd in wOBA (.310) and 26th in home runs (46) from left-handed batters.

Even if Pederson simply duplicates his 2023 production, he'll help to address a need in the offense.

After spending the last two seasons with the San Francisco Giants, Joc Pederson could be staying in the National League West in 2024.

According to Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, Pederson and the reigning NL champion Arizona Diamondbacks are "very close" to reaching a deal.

ESPN's Buster Olney previously reported the two sides had been involved in talks.

The Diamondbacks haven't swung for the fences this offseason after their surprise run to the World Series last season, but they've already made moves to improve their roster for 2024.

They acquired Eugenio Suárez in a trade with the Seattle Mariners to provide more power to the lineup. They also signed Eduardo Rodriguez in free agency to add more quality depth in the starting rotation.

Lourdes Gurriel Jr. is currently penciled in as Arizona's starting designated hitter. He had an underwhelming 2023 after being acquired in an offseason trade with the Toronto Blue Jays. The 30-year-old hit .261/.309/.463 with 24 homers and 82 RBI in 145 games.

Gurriel's 2.1 FanGraphs wins above replacement ranked sixth out of 14 qualified DHs.

Pederson is also coming off a lukewarm season with the Giants. He had a .235/.348/.416 slash line with 15 homers and 51 RBI in 121 games. He didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify for the season-long leaderboards, but his 0.6 WAR was tied for 22nd out of 30 designated hitters with at least 400 plate appearances.

Assuming better injury luck for Pederson next season, he could easily get back to hitting like he did in 2022 with a .274/.353/.521 slash line and 23 homers in 134 games.

Everyone in the NL West right now looks to be playing for second place behind the Los Angeles Dodgers. Arizona's activity this offseason at least suggests it wants to solidify its spot to get back to the postseason again.

Pederson wouldn't dramatically shift the standings in the D-Backs' favor, but he would give them another quality depth piece that manager Torey Lovullo can use against right-handed pitching.

Former three-time MLB All-Star Grady Sizemore had to work his way up to get back to the big leagues as a coach.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Sizemore spent the 2023 season working as an intern for the Arizona Diamondbacks earning $15 per hour.

Sizemore's work with the D-Backs included working with outfielders and baserunners at their training complex. He also visited their minor-league affiliates.

"He did a great job, which we all expected," said Josh Barfield, who was working as director of player development for the Diamondbacks at the time. "And at the end of the year he said, 'Man, I really, really enjoyed this.' He was ready to take that next step."

Barfield and Sizemore knew each other from their time as teammates with Cleveland from 2007 to '09.

Rosenthal noted Sizemore approached Barfield about a job with the Diamondbacks prior to the 2023 season, but they were already at their "head-count limit" when the idea of him working as an intern was given to general manager Mike Hazen.

"Josh was like, 'What if we do this?'" Hazen said. "And I was like, 'He'd really do that?'"

Sizemore earned $31.06 million during his playing career from 2004 to '15. He had a four-year run as one of the best players in MLB from 2005 to '08 with Cleveland, finishing in the top 12 of AL MVP voting in all four seasons.

Injuries ended Sizemore's run as a superstar player in 2009, and his career ended in 2015 when he was 32 years old. He did spend the 2017 season working in Cleveland's front office as an advisor to the team's player development department, but left after one season.

The work Sizemore did for the Diamondbacks apparently made a strong impression on Barfield, who was hired as assistant general manager for the Chicago White Sox in September 2023.

The White Sox hired Sizemore to join their manager Pedro Grifol's coaching staff in November. He's expected to work with outfielders and help coach baserunning.