Ex-Yankees pitcher bullied by owner sticks it to team, which may now trade him

Jordan Montgomery has exercised his $22.5 player option with the Diamondbacks, according to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com.
This decision was expected out of the left-hander, but he’ll be one of the top trade candidates this offseason.
Montgomery, 31, signed with the Diamondbacks two days before last year’s Opening Day with a one-year deal worth $25 million that included the option. He likely wanted to test the market after this season, but he didn’t pitch well enough in 2024 to do that.
Montgomery went 8-7 this season with a 6.23 ERA and eventually lost his spot in the rotation to Ryne Nelson. He was moved to the bullpen and later returned to the rotation when Nelson got hurt.
Diamonbacks owner Ken Kendrick was blunt after the season about Montgomery’s struggles.
“If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy that should be blamed,” Kendrick said on The Burns & Gambo Show. “Because I brought it to (the front office’s) attention. I pushed for it. They agreed to it. It wasn’t in our game plan. … And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I’m the perpetrator of that.”
The Yankees drafted Montgomery in 2014 and he made his debut with the team in 2017. After six seasons with New York, was traded to the Cardinals in 2022 in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader. At the 2023 trade deadline, he was sent to the Rangers, and he won the World Series with Texas.
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Bridget Hyland may be reached at [email protected].