Red Sox could reportedly make late run at Jordan Montgomery, but would have to shed salary
BOSTON -- With spring training less than a week away, the Red Sox are running out of opportunities to make a meaningful move this offseason. Adding another starting pitcher to the mix could potentially help the Boston brass get back in good graces with the fans following the "full throttle" debacle this winter, not to mention it would actually help the team in 2024.
But adding another arm to the rotation would reportedly require Boston trading away its lone All-Star during the 2023 season. Or more succinctly put, if the front office wants to sign one of the best free agent pitchers still available, they're being told to shed some payroll in order to do so.
According to MLB Insider Jon Morosi, lefty Jordan Montgomery -- fresh off a World Series title with the Rangers -- is expected to sign by next Thursday. All signs point toward Montgomery returning to Texas, but Morosi believes the Red Sox could make a late run at the 31-year-old southpaw.
But there's a catch, because there is seemingly always a catch with these Red Sox. In order for Craig Breslow to give Montgomery the big-money deal he's likely seeking, Boston would have to shed closer Kenley Jansen and the $16 million that he's owed in 2024.
"The Rangers are the favorites to sign him, but I wonder if the Red Sox could make a late push by clearing salary with a Kenley Jansen trade," Morosi said Thursday.
That the Boston Red Sox -- a team with some of the highest ticket prices in MLB and a current payroll around $180 million for 2024 -- would need to shed salary to sign a player is laughable, and just another reason for fans to remain miffed at the lackadaisical approach by ownership. With all the money the Red Sox bring in for Fenway Sports Group, not to mention all the investment that group is making outside of Boston, trading away talent (with a high price tag) shouldn't be the requirement to bring more talent into Boston.
But that is where we are with the Boston Red Sox. It should be crystal clear that 2024 is nothing more than a bridge year, another season that ownership is willing to waste before the young guns in the Boston system arrive in the near future.
It's setting up what will likely be another disappointing season for the team on the field, and a whole lot of anger from the fanbase throughout the campaign.