Owner of SF Giants division rival had shocking reflection on late offseason signing

Jordan Montgomery's first season with the Arizona Diamondbacks did not go as planned as he struggled badly and was eventually relegated to the bullpen. Bob Kendrick, the owner of the SF Giants division rivals, had a shocking moment of reflection after Montgomery's disastrous first season with the club.

Owner of SF Giants division rival had shocking reflection on late offseason signing

Kendrick joined the The Burns & Gambo Show on Monday where he admitted that signing Montgomery was a mistake, but even took it one step further:

It wasn’t in our game plan. You know when he [Mongomery] 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's our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint, and I’m the perpetrator of that.

Montgomery was hoping to land a lucrative, multi-year contract in free agency but that did not come to fruition. Instead, he signed with the Diamondbacks on a one-year, $25 million pact with a $22.5 million player option for 2025.

In 2023, the southpaw pitcher had helped the Texas Rangers clinch their first World Series title in franchise history. He pitched to a 2.90 ERA in six appearances during the Rangers' playoff run. Pitching that well in the playoffs usually pays off nicely for pending free agents, but that was not the case for Montgomery.

Similar to Blake Snell, he missed all of spring training after signing one week before the start of the season. Spring training is six weeks for a reason and it is to get the pitchers ready for the year.

Without the usual ramp up, Montgomery struggled right out of the gates and not too dissimilar to how Snell struggled early in the year. Unlike Snell, Montgomery never really recovered as he posted a 6.23 ERA in 25 outings for the Diamondbacks. His strikeout rate (6.4 K/9) plummeted as well, which is not a great sign for a pitcher who relies more on command and sequencing than overpowering stuff.

The good news for Montgomery is that he has a relatively easy decision to make this offseason. After a down year, there is a good chance that he will exercise his player option and remain with the Diamondbacks. At the end of the day, he will still earn a good amount of guaranteed money.

The weird part is that the person signing Montgomery's check feels so strongly about the left-handed hurler. The Diamondbacks missed the postseason by one game, so it is understandable that the organization would be frustrated by that. However, it is never really a good look to blast a player like Kendrick did.