The Chicago Cubs have shown a willingness to spend a lot to improve their chances in the playoffs soon, signing Cody Bellinger for $80 million and Shota Imanaga for $53 million.
But they may not be done spending, as an unnamed MLB competitor told the New York Post’s Jon Heyman that the Cubs are a great fit for free-agent left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who is expected to get a six-year, $110 million contract, according to Sportrac.
“Monty would be perfect for the Cubs,” the source said. “They can afford him.”
Heyman also said that even after signing Bellinger, the Cubs “still look like barely the cream of a middling NL Central,” suggesting the team could benefit from another major acquisition to make the most of their recent investments.
Jordan Montgomery Could Head the Chicago Cubs Rotation
Despite the team losing Marcus Stroman to the New York Yankees in free agency, starting pitching is not expected to be a major weakness for the team. The rotation is expected to be led by Justin Steele and Imanaga, making it quite strong at the top.
“I suspect some teams are going to regret that the Cubs got Imanaga at such a low cost,” Dan Szymborki wrote for FanGraphs, with the site’s ZiPS model predicting a close race in the division. “ZiPS is predicting a slight drop from Justine Steele, but some of that is simply the realities of predicting pitchers; both Imanaga and Steele just fall outside of the top 10 in NL starter predictions, but with slightly lower inning counts than the league’s elite.”
However, Montgomery would likely move to the top of that list, especially in terms of inning counts.
In seven major-league seasons, Montgomery has maintained a 3.68 ERA and made 140 total starts. In 2023, he posted a 3.20 ERA for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers, which ultimately led to a World Series Championship. He is considered a fairly durable workhorse, with at least 157 innings pitched in each of the last three seasons.
What Type of Agreement Will Jordan Montgomery Sign?
However, despite an unnamed competitor telling Heyman that the Cubs “can” afford Montgomery, the projected cost of signing him seems to be why he’s still available as a free agent well into Spring Training.
“For the Cubs, the only way a deal would likely make sense for Montgomery would be if it were a short-term deal, maybe similar to the one they gave Marcus Stroman when he signed a three-year pact with the club before the 2022 season,” James Neveau explained for NBC Sports Chicago. “A longer-term deal would likely not only be seen as a roadblock for pitchers like Cade Horton and Ben Brown, but would also take the Cubs out of the running if they decided to enter the free agent market next year for a pitcher like Shane Bieber or Max Fried.”
As for Montgomery’s willingness to accept less than the projected $110 million, there are conflicting reports. Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported that “it doesn’t sound like” he’d accept a “pillow contract” similar to Bellinger’s.
But Bob Nightengale from USA Today said both Montgomery and fellow top free agent Blake Snell might be willing to consider such a deal.
“They are now open to swapping long-term contracts for flexible, short-term ones if needed, just like Bellinger and (Matt) Chapman did,” Nightengale stated.
If Montgomery is open to shorter-term offers, the Cubs would likely face strong competition to sign him.
