Report: Red Sox target Montgomery not budging on asking price
The Boston Red Sox are in a staring contest with left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who won't budge on his free-agent asking price, sources told WEEI's Rob Bradford.
Boston reportedly met with Montgomery recently to discuss a potential deal as it looks to strengthen a starting rotation lacking star power and lefties heading into the regular season.
Projected Red Sox starting rotation
| PITCHER | THROWS | 2023 ERA |
|---|---|---|
| Lucas Giolito | R | 4.88 |
| Nick Pivetta | R | 4.04 |
| Brayan Bello | R | 4.24 |
| Kutter Crawford | R | 4.04 |
| Tanner Houck | R | 5.01 |
Montgomery is seeking a long-term contract after putting together a solid 2023 campaign that included impressive work in the postseason for the World Series-winning Texas Rangers.
The 31-year-old allowed 10 earned runs over 31 playoff innings after authoring a 2.79 ERA in the regular season following the Rangers' acquisition of him at the trade deadline.
Scott Boras represents Montgomery. Boras clients Cody Bellinger and Matt Chapman recently accepted short-term deals after waiting out the market for big contracts and not receiving what they sought.
Red Sox players such as Rafael Devers and Kenley Jansen have pushed for the front office to add more talent to the roster. Those pleas came several months after chairman Tom Werner declared the team ready to go "full throttle" in the winter to improve.