Diamondbacks owner threw Jordan Montgomery under the bus, but blames himself for signing him

Jordan Montgomery was one of the best MLB free agents on the market last winter. Veteran starting pitcher was excellent after mid-season trade Texas RangersOn his way to the A’s, posting a 2.78 ERA in his 11 starts with the club world Series Championship. The Texas team that was defeated to win the World Series Arizona DiamondbacksAs Montgomery remained on the market until spring training, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick saw an opportunity to improve the team’s rotation and pressured the front office to sign him.

2024 mlb playoffs Now set, and Diamondback was left looking out. The team was eliminated from the postseason during Monday’s electric double-header atlanta braves And New York MetsArizona was the one team to win the double-header to make the postseason, but instead the teams split, leaving the D-backs out of the playoffs.

As the Diamondbacks were in danger of missing the playoffs a year after playing in the World Series, Kendrick went on local radio in Arizona and did something you rarely see from a pro sports owner: He took it upon himself to sign Montgomery. held guilty.

Here is the full transcription:

“If someone wants to blame someone for this jordan montgomery Being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the person who should be blamed,” Kendrick. told Arizona Sports“Because I brought it to (the front office’s) attention. I pressed for it. They agreed to it – it wasn’t in our game plan. You know when he was signed – right at the end of spring training. And looking back, a terrible decision to invest that money in someone who had performed just as poorly as them. That’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I am the culprit.”

Montgomery had the worst season of his career with Arizona to date. He posted a 6.23 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 21 starts, and gave up 149 hits in 117 innings. Oh.

It feels like there are more peaks and valleys in player performance in baseball than in any other sport. Montgomery had been a reliable starter throughout his career, but it all fell apart this season. Arizona gave him a two-year, $47 million deal with a player option for 2025. That option is worth $22.5 million for next year, and he will almost certainly pick it up.

Can Montgomery bounce back next year? Sure. Baseball is weird like that. It’s rare that you hear an owner throw a player under the bus like this while still blaming himself for the signing.