D-Backs owner shoulders blame for Montgomery signing: Our 'biggest mistake'

Diamondbacks managing general partner Ken Kendrick acknowledged that he pushed Arizona's front office to sign left-hander Jordan Montgomery ahead of the 2024 season.

"If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you're talking to the guy that should be blamed because I brought it to their attention," Kendrick told Arizona Sports' 'The Burns & Gambo Show.' "I pushed for it. They agreed to it. It wasn't in our game plan."

He added: "In hindsight, it was a horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I'm the perpetrator of that."

Montgomery posted a 6.23 ERA with 1.65 WHIP and 6.4 K/9 over 117 innings (21 starts) before getting demoted to the bullpen in late August. He signed a one-year, $25-million deal in March with a 2025 vesting option after playing a pivotal role in helping the Texas Rangers win the 2023 World Series.

The 31-year-old fired Scott Boras in April, later saying that his former agent "butchered" his free agency after also receiving interest from the Boston Red Sox before joining the D-Backs.

Montgomery is set to make $22.5 million if he exercises his option to return to Arizona in 2025.

The D-Backs missed the playoffs this season due to a tiebreaker with the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets after losing to the Rangers in last year's Fall Classic.