Arizona Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick took responsibility for signing left-hander Jordan Montgomery during a radio appearance on Monday, all the while describing it as a “horrible decision.” Kendrick, who appeared on 98.7 FM’s “The Burns & Gambo Show,” said that he was the one who pushed the baseball operations department to sign Montgomery to a one-year contract for the 2024 season with a vesting option for next season.
“Let me say it the best way I can say it: If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy who should be blamed,” Kendrick said. “Because I brought it to their attention. I pushed for it. They agreed to it.”
Montgomery’s contract called for him to earn $25 million in 2024 with a vesting player option for next season.
“It wasn’t in our game plan,” Kendrick added. “You know when he was signed, right at the end of spring training. And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision, to have invested that money in a guy that performed as poorly as he did. It was our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I’m the perpetrator of that.”
Montgomery, 31, posted a 6.23 ERA (67 ERA+) and a 1.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 25 appearances — disappointing marks that were well beneath his career averages, as well as a jarring contrast from how well he pitched down the stretch last year with the Texas Rangers. The Diamondbacks demoted him to the bullpen late in the summer, but not before his player option vested for next season at $22.5 million.
Montgomery’s signing has become a polarizing topic. Montgomery himself took aim at former agent Scott Boras when he was relegated to relief, stating that he “butchered” his free-agent process. Blake Snell, another Boras client who signed late in the spring, defended his agent in response to Montgomery. Montgomery helped the Rangers win the World Series last year, as Texas defeated Kendrick’s D-backs for the title.
Given how rare it is for an owner to publicly slam a signing — particularly of a player who is expected to be on the roster for another season — it’s probably fair to assume the Diamondbacks will spend their offseason at least exploring potential trade scenarios involving Montgomery.
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