Latest Jordan Montgomery rumors make Mets-Yankees NY border war sound imminent

Coming into the MLB offseason, a lot of the talk around free agency had to do with the 'Boras Four'. Blake Snell, Cody Bellinger and Blake Snell have all signed, although it took awhile. That just leaves Jordan Montgomery, who still hasn't signed with just a couple days left before the season.

That looks like it could be changing soon, as multiple teams have 'long-term deals' on the table for the lefty's services, according to Jim Bowden of The Athletic.

According to Joel Sherman of the New York Post, both the New York Mets and New York Yankees 'have not shut the door' on Montgomery. This shouldn't come as a huge shock as both New York teams lost the respective aces, Gerrit Cole and Kodai Senga, during Spring Training. They will need to cover innings from the lost pitchers and if there's one thing that's true about Jordan Montgomery it's this: he can do just that.

Why the Yankees and Mets could both use Jordan Montgomery

With Cole coming off of an AL Cy Young win and Senga a stellar rookie season, Montgomery isn't going to be a one-to-one replacement for those guys. With that being said, he can eat innings with the best of them and those two teams need innings pretty desperately. In the last two seasons, while bouncing around between a few teams, Montgomery has thrown at least 175 innings with a career high of 188.2 last season.

He's also coming off a stellar postseason performance with the Rangers, throwing 37.2 innings to the tune of a 2.63 ERA, so he's pitched well on the big stage. Montgomery's strikeout numbers won't blow anyone away, as he has a career 8.4 K/9, but he's proven he can lead a rotation.

According to Sherman, Montgomery was looking for a contract in the range of what Aaron Nola received, which was a seven-year deal for $172 million. As the offseason went on without a contract, he reportedly is targeting the deal Tyler Glasnow signed with the Dodgers, which is a five-year, $136.5 million deal.

The Yankees and Mets aren't the only teams that have been linked to Montgomery this winter. Both the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies have reportedly had interest in the southpaw.

No matter which team signs him, since it's this late in the offseason, Montgomery won't be available right away. Bowden reports that a deal could come in the next few days, so keep an eye on his market.