3 remaining free agents the Phillies should sign and 2 they should avoid
By Edward Eng
Jordan Montgomery, SP
With the Phillies appearing to be set for their starting rotation for 2024 following the re-signing of Nola, they shouldn’t need to be looking for another starting pitcher in free agency this offseason. Or should they?
Well, for those who may have forgotten about last season’s trade deadline, the Phillies had the exact same current starting five already in place when they decided to go out to acquire All-Star pitcher Michael Lorenzen for the stretch run in exchange for one of their top five prospects in the organization. That clearly signified that the ballclub is definitely open to such options if they believe what they will be bringing in will be a significant upgrade over what they already have.
The Lorenzen acquisition unfortunately didn’t work out as planned following the trade, but there are numerous options in the free agent market this offseason that could provide much more reliability. One of those options is left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery.
According to MLB insider Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Montgomery is one of two free agent starting pitchers the Phillies are targeting this offseason. After all, Montgomery was critical in helping the Texas Rangers capture their first-ever World Series championship following the trade with the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline. With the Rangers, he went a solid 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP down the stretch and continued his dominance with an impressive postseason by going 3-1 with a 2.90 ERA and 1.35 WHIP.
By recruiting Montgomery, he can bring his championship-winning experience to the Phillies. He would slot in nicely as the ballclub’s number three starter while letting Taijuan Walker, Cristopher Sánchez, and Ranger Suárez battle it out for the remaining two spots in the 2024 rotation.