SURPRISE, Ariz. — The World Champion Texas Rangers have a lot going for them, from the game’s most talented double-play combination (Corey Seager and Marcus Semien) to the most clutch hitter (Seager again) to the most determined/dependable player (Semien again) to two of the best young talents in the game (Evan Carter and Cactus League sensation Wyatt Langford) to the best manager (Bruce Bochy).
That last one is inarguable. Bochy has won four World Series with four underdog teams heading into the postseason (and something tells me if he had half a chance in the 1998 World Series as Padres manager against the best team in the past 50 years, he might have pulled that off, too).
Nobody manages the game better, and nobody knows the game better. And while Bochy came back to the game after three years away because he liked this team’s mission and general manager Chris Young’s “vision” (and he has to feel even better about all of it after winning that fourth World Series ring to tie Joe Torre), like the rest of Rangers baseball people Bochy, does notice an obvious absence.
Jordan Montgomery, celebrating after getting out of the seventh inning during Game 1 of the World Series, remains unsigned as the season approaches. USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con Jordan Montgomery, who formed half their dynamic postseason pitching duo of former Yankees with Nate Eovaldi (who was named their Opening Day starter Tuesday), isn’t here. Monty isn’t in any camp, as he seeks the right free-agent contract, but Bochy and their other baseball people agree this is where the left-hander belongs after he helped secure Texas’ first title.
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“Who wouldn’t like to have a Montgomery? What a great teammate along with a tremendous pitcher,” Bochy said.
Bochy conceded that “those are decisions not made by me.” But that doesn’t mean he hasn’t been stumping for Montgomery.
Rangers ownership is far from cheap, their baseball people concede. They have the eighth- or ninth-highest payroll, according to Cot’s, and they signed Seager and Semien a year before they were even ready to win. That’s why it’s been quite a surprise they haven’t moved on Monty yet.
“It’s pretty close to the staff we had last year. It is very, very close,” Bochy said. “And it worked last year. We added a tremendous guy in Montgomery, who helped lead the way.”
The implication is clear. Let’s do it again.
Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said he would love to have Jordan Montgomery resign with the team, but that it isn’t his call. Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports The suspicion is the RSN imbroglio, which saw the team lose a multiyear deal and settle for a one-time $90M payment this year, is part of the issue. But the team also made some serious money on the World Series, and is hosting the All-Star Game this year.
“Trust me, there’s been a lot of discussions,” Bochy said. “But these decisions aren’t made by me. We’ve got a good payroll here. We’ve got a lot of talent.”
While the Giants always made sense for Blake Snell (who agreed to a $62M, two-year deal in San Francisco), this is the obvious team for Montgomery, who not only is believed to want to return but is recalled as one of the most key reasons this team won its first championship.
The Red Sox held a Zoom call a month ago with Montgomery. But Boston doesn’t feel like it’s doing much of anything at the moment (or all winter for that matter).
The Cubs checked in, but they haven’t seemed to be at the forefront of talks, either.
The Cardinals touched base, and while they look like they can use another pitcher, there’s no word of any involvement there.
The Yankees considered Snell late before he ultimately decided to go to the Giants. They liked Montgomery when they had him, and he’d be more cost-efficient, especially in terms of the tax. But they liked Snell better.
No sir, Texas seems like the right place.
While recovering starters Tyler Mahle, Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are all progressing (Scherzer’s even said to be ahead of schedule), Monty is a guy on their mind. His seven shutout innings in the Wild Card round against the Rays and two straight gems against the rival Astros in the ALCS won’t soon be forgotten.
“Monty played a tremendous role for our team and was a huge reason why we won the World Series,” Young said. “And we’ll certainly forever be grateful for his contributions to the Rangers and his place in Rangers history.”
If that sounds like a beautiful sendoff, it isn’t that. Word is that, to a man, every baseball person backs the idea of a return for Montgomery. That goes for the players, too. I know because I checked.
“Does everybody want to play with Jordan? Of course,” Semien said. “He took us as far as we could possibly go, and we won. Just his performance in the Wild Card series alone set the tone for our entire playoff push. The way he pitched against Houston — a team we’re always going to have to be battling against — was great. Those are things that we want here. Obviously, it’s a business, and we’ll see what happens.”
It’s a business — the truest and saddest three words in the game.
