DALLAS — Coming off a World Series title, the Texas Rangers have had a mostly quiet offseason - so far.
The club was initially rumored to be in the mix for two-way megastar Shohei Ohtani, but that early buzz ultimately fizzled. Texas also passed on re-signing designated hitter Mitch Garver, who landed with Seattle instead. And the Rangers have had little in the way of "splash" signings otherwise, though new starting pitcher Tyler Mahle, who will miss time while recovering from injury to start the year, could be a solid option after the All-Star break.
All that being said, two of the Rangers' biggest needs are still available: Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery and closer Josh Hader, both of whom remain free agents.
And it appears, despite some financial uncertainty surrounding the Rangers' TV deal with Bally Sports, Texas is back in the mix for at least Montgomery, who anchored the team's rotation during the playoff run.
New York Post baseball insider Jon Heyman this week reported the Rangers as "likely to be back in play" for Montgomery. Heyman also named the Phillies and Angels as possibilities, but suggested a Montgomery reunion with Texas makes the most sense.
Part of the Rangers' renewed contention for Montgomery, according to Heyman, is the possibility of the club getting one-time payment up to $90 million for its TV rights. Bally's bankruptcy situation has clouded the Rangers' future revenues, a bulk of which come from local TV rights. A one-time payment could possibly tide things over, for now.
In any case, the need for Montgomery is apparent, for the Rangers or any other team. He's quietly been one of the more consistent starting pitchers in baseball over the last three seasons, notching a 3.48 ERA in 524.1 innings in that span.
That's generally the level of production Montgomery has had for his career, but with a few bumps along the way. He missed most of 2018 and 2019 with an elbow injury, and then the Yankees traded him to St. Louis in 2022.
But the Cardinals' struggles last year made him an easy trade candidate, and Texas struck a deal, exchanging reliever John King and minor leaguers Tekoah Roby and Thomas Saggese for Montgomery and reliever Chris Stratton.
Montgomery was just the shoring-up Texas' rotation needed, then he became an ace in the playoffs. He went seven scoreless innings in Game 1 of the AL Wild Card against the Rays. But his biggest moments came against the Astros in the AL Championship Series: 6.1 scoreless innings in a Game 2 victory, and then 2.1 pivotal scoreless innings in Game 7, when he relieved starter Max Scherzer in the third inning.
Montgomery isn't a power pitcher – his 2023 strikeout rate (21.4%) was bottom half of the league – but he keeps hitters at bay, and off balance, with a sinker-curveball-changeup arsenal. And that's what he did against the Astros.
What does it all mean for the Rangers?
A deal in the five-year range would obviously give Texas a key rotation piece in what could be a championship window. In the more short term, Montgomery could anchor the rotation - alongside Nathan Eovaldi - for at least the first half of 2024.
High-paid ace Jacob deGrom will likely be out for most of the season, as he recovers from another elbow surgery. The same goes for the newly-signed Mahle. And Scherzer will miss extended time with a back injury.
Montgomery would join Eovaldi in the lead of a rotation that also includes Jon Gray, Dane Dunning, Andrew Heaney and possibly Cody Bradford. Those five, without Montgomery, were mostly solid in 2023, and Eovaldi and Dunning were anchors.
But Eovaldi, whose had Tommy John surgery twice, also missed time with injury last year. Gray did, too. And the Rangers' current shelf of injured starters is proof enough to how fragile a rotation can become. Montgomery (and his durability of late) would provide the rotation depth Texas will surely need in 2024.
