{"id":16421,"date":"2024-12-09T09:07:09","date_gmt":"2024-12-09T09:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16421"},"modified":"2024-12-09T09:07:09","modified_gmt":"2024-12-09T09:07:09","slug":"report-dbacks-explored-montgomery-bellinger-trade-with-cubs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16421","title":{"rendered":"Report: D’Backs Explored Montgomery\/Bellinger Trade With Cubs"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mark Polishuk |

There has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding the Diamondbacks\u2019 Jordan Montgomery<\/strong> and the Cubs\u2019 Cody Bellinger<\/strong> this offseason, as both players have outsized salaries and are somewhat imperfect roster fits on their respective clubs.\u00a0 These same issues have seemingly led to a rather quiet trade market for either player to date, though USA Today\u2019s Bob Nightengale writes that Arizona \u201ctried to get the Cubs interested in a swap\u201d involving the two players.\u00a0 It isn\u2019t known if the proposed deal was a straight one-for-one trade or if other players were involved, though it could be a moot point since the Cubs apparently didn\u2019t have much interest.<\/p>\n

Bellinger chose to pass on his opt-out clause in the wake of only an okay 2024 season, leaving him on Chicago\u2019s roster through the 2026 season for $52.5MM in remaining salary.\u00a0 This breaks down as $27.5MM in 2025, and then Bellinger can either opt out of the final year of the deal and pocket a $5MM buyout on his way back to free agency, or he can again forego the opt-out clause and earn $25MM in 2026.<\/p>\n

Montgomery also decided against opting out of the final year of his two-year deal Arizona, and will receive $22.5MM for the 2025 season.\u00a0 Whereas a case could\u2019ve been made for Bellinger to test the market again this winter, there was no doubt Montgomery would be staying in his contract in the wake of a disastrous first season with the D\u2019Backs.\u00a0 Montgomery signed with Arizona just before Opening Day and then struggled to a 6.23 ERA over 117 innings, seemingly a by-product of missing Spring Training and not having a proper ramp-up due to his extended stint in free agency.<\/p>\n

D\u2019Backs owner Ken Kendrick was publicly critical of the Montgomery signing during a radio interview back in October, which was viewed as either some surprisingly harsh honesty from an executive about a player, or as Kendrick\u2019s attempt to try and get Montgomery to opt out of his contract just to pursue a fresh start elsewhere.\u00a0 If the latter, the tactic obviously didn\u2019t work, and Nightengale writes that \u201cthe Diamondbacks are shopping [Montgomery] everywhere\u201d to try and move that salary off the books.<\/p>\n

A Montgomery-for-Bellinger trade is fascinating for several reasons, beginning with the simple fact that they were both members of the so-called \u201cBoras Four.\u201d\u00a0 Along with Blake Snell<\/strong> and Matt Chapman<\/strong>, Montgomery and Bellinger were both represented by agent Scott Boras last offseason, and all four players ended up settling for shorter-term contracts with opt-out after lengthy stints in free agency didn\u2019t result in the lucrative longer-term pacts each player was looking to score.\u00a0 It should be noted that Chapman and Snell have now found such contracts in the last few months \u2014 Chapman via his extension with the Giants and Snell\u2019s new five-year deal with the Dodgers.<\/p>\n

From a pure baseball perspective, swapping Montgomery for Bellinger helps the D\u2019Backs and Cubs each address some needs.\u00a0 Bellinger would bring offense to an Arizona team that might be losing Christian Walker<\/strong>, Joc Pederson<\/strong>, and Randal Grichuk<\/strong> in free agency, and Bellinger could slot right in as a replacement for Walker at first base.\u00a0 While Bellinger\u2019s left-handed bat would further imbalance a Diamondbacks lineup that is already heavy with lefty swingers, Bellinger\u2019s ability to play the outfield could make the D\u2019Backs more comfortable in trading one of their in-house left-handed hitting outfielders.\u00a0 Jake McCarthy<\/strong> or Alek Thomas<\/strong> are the likeliest trade candidates, since obviously Corbin Carroll<\/strong> isn\u2019t going anywhere.<\/p>\n

The Diamondbacks have a rotation surplus that is also drawing trade interest, and moving Montgomery to the Cubs would help Chicago bolster the back of its rotation.\u00a0 Matthew Boyd<\/strong> was recently signed to join Shota Imanaga<\/strong>, Justin Steele<\/strong>, and Jameson Taillon<\/strong> in the Cubs\u2019 starting five, and though Javier Assad<\/strong> is lined up for that fifth starter\u2019s job, the Cubs are reportedly open to more additions in the starting pitching department.\u00a0 Trading for Montgomery would give Chicago its own semi-surplus of rotation options that could be turned into trade chips, and also move Bellinger out of the Cub\u2019 crowded outfield and first base situation.<\/p>\n

Despite his rough 2024 numbers, it wouldn\u2019t be surprising to see Montgomery rebound to his old self now that he\u2019ll have the benefit of a normal offseason.\u00a0 It\u2019s probably safe to assume that he\u2019d be a popular bounce-back candidate in trade talks if it wasn\u2019t for the $22.5MM price tag, as rival teams might not want to make quite that big of a bet that Montgomery can regain his old form.<\/p>\n

The Astros, Mariners, and Yankees have all shown some degree of interest in Bellinger, and New York in particular could emerge as a stronger suitor if the team doesn\u2019t re-sign Juan Soto<\/strong>.\u00a0 Even if the numbers haven\u2019t matched up to date for the Cubs in finding a trade partner for Bellinger, this active market could be a reason why the Cubs are aiming a bit higher in their pursuits than perhaps settling for Montgomery in a swap of unfavorable contracts.<\/p>\n

While Bellinger might yet opt out after 2025, the Diamondbacks would be facing the bigger financial burden in taking on two years of salary in exchange for Montgomery\u2019s final remaining year.\u00a0 After the 2025 season, however, a good deal of money is coming off Arizona\u2019s books, as Zac Gallen<\/strong>, Eugenio Suarez<\/strong>, and Merrill Kelly<\/strong> are all free agents next winter.\u00a0 That could make fitting Bellinger into the 2026 payroll a bit more palatable for the Snakes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There has been plenty of trade speculation surrounding the Diamondbacks’ Jordan Montgomery and the Cubs’ Cody Bellinger this offseason, as …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":16422,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[104,483],"class_list":["post-16421","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb","tag-cody-bellinger","tag-jordan-montgomery"],"yoast_head":"\nReport: D'Backs Explored Montgomery\/Bellinger Trade With Cubs - NEWS USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=16421\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Report: D'Backs Explored Montgomery\/Bellinger Trade With Cubs - 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