Rangers GM all but definitively rules out reunion with Jordan Montgomery

The Texas Rangers would not have won the World Series last season without Jordan Montgomery. Let's make that abundantly clear. Montgomery's 2.79 ERA in 11 starts after being acquired from the Cardinals at the trade deadline allowed the Rangers to squeak into the playoffs. He then pitched even better in the postseason, helping them win the World Series.

Entering this offseason, the Rangers were expected to bring Montgomery back fairly early. He's made it clear that he wants to be there, and there's no reason why they wouldn't want him.

Yet, we sit in mid-February, pitchers and catchers have reported, and Montgomery is still sitting in free agency. Based on what Rangers GM Chris Young just said, Montgomery might be sitting in free agency for a while longer if the Rangers are the team he wants to go to.

Rangers GM pours ice cold water on the possibility of the team re-signing Jordan Montgomery

Chris Young said ahead of the Rangers' first Spring Training workout that the team is probably done making free-agent additions according to Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today. That'd mean no Montgomery.

Young said that the uncertainty regarding the team's TV deal has played a big role in their offseason planning. The Rangers have a deal for this upcoming season, but not for 2025 and beyond. That's a problem. The only multi-year deal they handed out was to Tyler Mahle, and that was just a two-year commitment. Montgomery is seeking one far longer than that.

Young did say that he will have an open mind when it comes to bringing in free agents including Montgomery, but it sounds like barring a massive shift in asking price it's just not happening. Rather than search for the long-term deal he and Scott Boras have been looking for all offseason, Montgomery would likely have to pivot to something short-term to get the Rangers interested. There's almost no chance of that happening.

The lack of offseason movement is new to Rangers fans as their team has been ultra-aggressive the last couple of offseasons landing guys like Marcus Semien, Corey Seager, and Jacob deGrom in free agency. The biggest addition they've made this offseason was bringing in David Robertson to sure up the bullpen.

Losing out on Montgomery is a big blow for a Rangers team that already has deGrom, Mahle, and Max Scherzer on the IL to begin the season. The Rangers will need big years from guys like Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney, and most importantly Nathan Eovaldi to compete with the loaded Astros in the AL West.

As for Monty himself, there are plenty of teams in dire need of a starting pitcher of his caliber. Those teams have a golden opportunity to sign him now that the Rangers seem to be out of the running.