MLB insider believes SF Giants are 1 of 6 teams reportedly in on 2023 World Series winner

There is a lot of crossover with the markets for Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery. According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the SF Giants are among the teams reportedly interested in 2023 World Series winner Jordan Montgomery.

MLB insider believes SF Giants are 1 of 6 teams reportedly in on 2023 World Series winner

Heyman lists the Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, Boston Red Sox, and New York Yankees as the other interested suitors. At that tier of the market, it will only be the teams with the financial wherewithal.

That includes the Giants. Even though they have not landed a star player in free agency in recent years, they are still signaling that they are interested in doing so. On a similar note, the Red Sox are seemingly not a realistic suitor after they have conveyed that they are interested in shedding more payroll following the Chris Sale trade, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.

This is one of the few times that the Giants have been connected to the veteran pitcher. On paper, he makes sense given the need for a frontline starter and Montgomery arguably fits the lower tier of that description. Plus, the Giants could be motivated to add another lefty starter given that this is an area where they are thin on depth.

The lefty pitcher spent parts of his first five seasons with the New York Yankees before being shipped to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for Harrison Bader in 2022. During his time with the Yankees, he established himself as a quality mid-rotation arm.

However, he blossomed following that move. Montgomery was shipped to the Texas Rangers in a five-player deal at the trade deadline this past season as the Cardinals got off to a rough start and never really recovered.

The seven-year veteran found another gear with the Rangers, posting a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts down the stretch. He finished the year on a high note and was certainly in line for a nice payday in free agency. However, Montgomery thrived in the postseason as he posted a 3.75 ERA across 24 innings. This includes a 1.29 ERA in three appearances against the Houston Astros in the ALCS. There is no doubt that he earned even more money with his performance in the playoffs while helping the Rangers win their first title in franchise history.

Since he debuted in 2017, Montgomery has posted a 3.68 ERA, 3.75 FIP, 1.20 WHIP, 8.4 K/9, and a 3.41 SO/W ratio. He is not going to tally high strikeout totals, but he attacks the strike zone and does a nice job of keeping the ball on the ground and in the ballpark.

Plus, Montgomery has proven to be a durable option as he has made at least 30 starts in each of the last three seasons. The Giants need a frontline starter and he is likely a preferable option compared to Blake Snell given his above-average command, projected contract, and lack of a qualifying offer. Nevertheless, it does feel like he would prefer to remain on the East Coast with the Yankees being a possibility. In this case, geography might be the prevailing factor here even if he is looking to score a lucrative contract as well.