The Arizona Diamondbacks’ season ended Monday, providing an opportunity for some self-reflection. Team owner Ken Kendrick didn’t like what he saw.
During an interview with The Burns & Gambo Show, Kendrick took full responsibility for what he called the team’s biggest mistake last season: Jordan Montgomery’s contract. He said he pushed his front office to sign the left-hander, which he called a “terrible decision”:
“Let me say it in 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 because I brought it to their attention. I insisted. They agreed.
“It wasn’t in our game plan. You know when he was signed, right at the end of spring training, and in retrospect, a terrible decision to have invested that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did. From a talent perspective, this is our biggest mistake this season, and I am the perpetrator.”
Kendrick isn’t being overly dramatic there. Montgomery really was that bad.
After a career-best season that saw him become a postseason hero for the World Series champion Texas Rangers, Montgomery and his agent Scott Boras held out for a nine-figure deal. They ultimately waited until March 27 to sign a one-year, $25 million deal with Arizona, after all other suitors had gone elsewhere. Montgomery fired Boras a few weeks later.
That disaster offseason led to a disaster season, even though it seemed like a good fit at the time. The D-Backs could attest to Montgomery’s talent after facing him in the World Series, but that’s not the guy they have. Montgomery’s ERA of 6.23 was the worst mark in the MLB this season among pitchers with at least 100 innings. He was demoted to the bullpen in August.
The D-Backs finished the season with an 89–73 record, losing a playoff spot via tiebreakers to the Atlanta Braves and New York Mets. They would play in the postseason with one more win.
According to Baseball Reference’s calculation of Wins Above Replacement, Montgomery was worth -1.4 wins.
And to add to the disaster, Montgomery’s time with the D-Backs likely isn’t over yet. Due to contract incentives, his deal now includes a $22.5 million player option for next season, according to USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, which he is certain to exercise.
Kendrick’s willingness to destroy a player who is likely still under contract with the team next season could be an indication that the D-Backs will look for a way to get him off the books.
