The Atlanta Braves clearly could use one more starting pitcher, but it’s not clear if they’ll go out and get one before Opening Day.
The top of the rotation is loaded. Chris Sale, Reynaldo López, and Spencer Schwellenbach have ace potential, and so does Spencer Strider when he eventually returns from elbow surgery, hopefully early in the 2025 season.
However, the Braves are still depending on at least one, and maybe two arms that spent the majority of last season in Triple-A if they don’t bring in one more veteran. They’ve been inactive in free agency, but a last-minute trade could still be on the table.
As trade targets go, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Jordan Montgomery seems like an obvious fit due to his availability. After a disastrous first season in Arizona, the 2023 World Series hero has become an expendable piece, with his team hoping to shed his $22.5 million salary.
In a recent YouTube video, content creator Robbie Hyde proposed a hypothetical trade that would bring Montgomery to the Braves for Rayven Antonio, an 18-year-old Colombian reliever who reached Low-A in the Atlanta farm system last season.
“At this point, there’s no point in keeping Montgomery on your payroll,” Hyde said. “I say move him, and I think the Braves would make a great landing spot.”
“Remember, they brought in Chris Sale last season and they got a Cy Young season out of him… I think a veteran like Montgomery would be a nice addition for this rotation, just to give them some insurance.”
Montgomery was awful last season, pitching to a 6.23 ERA across 25 appearances, including four outings out of the bullpen after he lost his rotation spot. But only a year ago, he was coming off a 3.20 ERA across 188 innings pitched.
The Braves seem like as good a bet as any team to rediscover the 2023 version of Montgomery. And for a lottery-ticket prospect, there would be no reason to regret the risk anytime soon.
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