Happy Opening Day Eve! Here are three things for MLBTR readers to watch for throughout the game today…
1. D-backs to finalize Montgomery contract:
The Diamondbacks made a last-minute strike to further bolster their rotation last night when they agreed to a one-year, $25MM deal with Jordan Montgomery that contains a vesting player option for a second season. Montgomery will trigger the right to opt into a $20MM salary for the 2025 season if he starts just 10 games, and he can boost that total to $25MM if he makes it to 23 starts on the year. It’s a major grab for a D-backs club currently facing an extended shutdown for their other top offseason rotation addition, Eduardo Rodriguez, who’s dealing with a lat strain. Montgomery will need to pass a physical, and the Snakes will need to open a 40-man roster spot. Rodriguez or injured closer Paul Sewald (Grade 2 oblique strain) could be possible 60-day IL candidates, though the team hasn’t provided an expected recovery timetable on either. If the D-backs don’t want to commit to a two-month absence for either, they’ll need to DFA someone or swing a late-spring trade.
2. Owners vote to approve Orioles’ sale:
Major League Baseball’s other 29 owners will vote today to formally approve the Angelos family’s sale of the Orioles to a group led by Baltimore native and billionaire David Rubenstein. The new ownership group will also feature franchise icon Cal Ripken Jr., NBA Hall of Famer Grant Hill, former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg and former Baltimore mayor Kurt Schmoke, among others. Rubenstein’s group will pay a $1.725 billion price to acquire the controlling stake of the Orioles and their stake in the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN). Today’s vote is viewed as little more than a formality, as no pushback among the sport’s other 29 owners is expected.
3. Last-minute roster machinations:
As we’ve already seen this week, the end of spring training brings with it a flurry of releases, DFAs, waiver claims, free agent signings and, typically, some minor trades. Beyond Arizona’s reported deal with Montgomery, it’s been reported and/or announced that non-roster players Miguel Sano (Angels), Victor Scott II (Cardinals), Jose Ureña (Rangers), Alan Trejo (Rockies), Jared Jones (Pirates), Hunter Stratton (Pirates), Ryder Ryan (Pirates), Daniel Vogelbach (Blue Jays), Joely Rodriguez (Red Sox) and several others around the league have made their club’s Opening Day rosters. Each of those players will require a corresponding 40-man move, as will the yet-to-be-announced dozens of other 40-man additions that the end of spring training will surely bring. The late roster shuffling will set off a chain of player movement on the fringes of 40-man rosters, as will any last-minute signings of remaining free agents of note (e.g. Tommy Pham, Mike Clevinger, Brandon Belt). It’ll be a hectic 24 to 36 hours as teams set their Opening Day rosters, and the flurry of transactions will create a ripple effect that should fill the next week with subsequent, smaller-scale transactions.
Certain players who are currently on a roster will likely find themselves no longer in that situation over the coming day. Stay tuned.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA I CALLED IT!! Many of us called it. Not even a 2-3 year embarrassment deal like many here predicted but a woefully embarrassing 1 year deal!!! Hahahah Money Monty and Boras can eat it!!!! Hahahahahhahaa let’s see Money Monty put up average numbers and struggle with his next contract. It’s amazing that he didn’t sign with ANY of the “teams that were interested “ and the teams that “had long term offers” All these PAID TO WRITE STORIES FOR Boras reporters should LOSE THEIR CREDENTIALS. HOGWASH. WHAT HAPPENEDTO THE SOX? METS? YANKEES!!!!!!!??? Even rangers didn’t offer a 1 year dump of a deal? Or the Giants? They have been spending/adding. This is hilarious. I INFORMED YOU THUSLY HAHAHAHAH
Even Chief Inspector Dreyfus digs mlbtr
Ya, you were right about “flash in the pants” too. Stop yelling, you’re embarrassing yourself.
Omg who cares
@178iq
You do realize that Montgomery has consistently been an above average SP on a rate basis, yes?
And the other teams that were interested all had Luxury Tax payrolls that were already over the threshold, or right up against it (and it took some heavy maneuvering on Boston’s part to not be over). They weren’t only going to be paying $25MM.
You should probably take a break from congratulating yourself to find where the decimal fits in your username.
Montgomery, like the other top Boras clients, waited too long. They thought they were getting long term deals for $200, $300, $100,000,000m, or whatever. Either they had too high of an opinion of themselves, listened to Boras to wait it out, that some teams were dying to sign them at any amount/years, or they disregarded Boras’ advice. Either way, there will always be a long line at Boras’ door.
He’s a great #3 or 4 starter. That’s it. He’s already at his ceiling and apparently most MLB clubs realize that.
He’s been way better than half of the the leagues number 4 starters, and better than at least a quarter of teams number 3 starters, if not more than that. Just because he didn’t sign the deal he was originally hoping for doesn’t mean he’s this bottom of the rotation arm. He’s a solid number 2 on most teams and a great number 3 on basically every team. No he’s not an ace, but he is a very solid pitcher. Y’all folks make me laugh. I hope y’all eat your words and he comes out here dominating and leads the dbacks to another post season appearance. If he has a year like he had this past season he will definitely get a better deal, and more years added because teams will see that he’s consistently been a top pitcher. Consistency is key and if he shows that a lot of you folks on here will be eating y’all’s words.
Not sure about the length of that line.
Time spares no one and the undisputed world champ has just taken a battering. He is currently a swollen, bloodied mess staggering back to his corner after being saved by the bell. No matter your opinion of the man, it’s been brutal. The difference in numbers achieved compared to numbers projected is staggering. Execs of big spending teams have publicly criticised his methods in both FA and extensions. His mouthpiece Heyman has become a journalistic parody. A section of players rallied against his power with the Union and fired a public warning shot.
I’m not sure how the great man fills his sales funnel, but there is no way that is going to be easy as it was after what just transpired.
Anyhow, it will be interesting to see how the ageing champ comes out next round.
Yeah, I never understood the hype around this guy. Seen him pitch, had a great year last year, but seems no better than a mid rotation guy to me
The bigger story is how broke mlb became from the fallout of that tv deal. How did a dozen other teams not scoop him for a slightly better offer ?
The elite (la/ny) get richer while everyone else struggles to pay their bills lol
I feel good about this muting @178iq
PLAY BALL!
Poor Brandon Belt.
Left to hang out with all the derelicts left unsigned. He’s like, hey guys I’m getting scared here with these thugs. Help.
He mentioned last year he would think about retiring but I havent heard anything more. I am sure there is interest if he wants to play (on a 1 year dea)
His knees are about 5 years older than the rest of him. Might be time.
Except that he put up a 136 OPS+ and a 138 WRC+ last season. As a platoon DH, he was still excellent.
Not a bunch of teams spending for DH platoons. I don’t deny his power and OBP tools though. I thought he would be signed before Crawford.
I’d like to see Colorado sign him
I think Pham will be the first of that group to sign. Not a great fielder but a clutch hitter.
Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire is number 1 at the box office and that is not a surprise.
Why is that?
Chooch: Yes, but it only made $45m. Not much for a movie’s opening weekend.
movies don’t make money at the theater anymore but there’s lot of money in the dvd and merch sales. i believe this movie made more than Afterlife’s opening. have fun at the theater, friends
because it’s awesome
It has now been a fortnight since the Padres released former 30 HR-hitter and 2023 World Series Champ Brad Miller, and yet MLBTR still hasn’t reported it. It has been updated on MLB.com, BR, Wikipedia, CBS, but not MLBTR. At first I thought it was just an oversight. However, after bringing this to their attention, it has become clear that, alas, it was not. Instead, a much more unfortunate and sinister truth has been revealed: MLBTR will ignore certain stories if it doesn’t fit their agenda. But while MLBTR might ignore, we will not ignore. We will not forget. And we will not be silent. #sayhisname #BradMiller
#melbatoast
Baseball’s Topics: Aye, it has been a fortnight since we last heard word from young Bradley O’Miller. When last seen the lad was making his way through the treacherous moors near the Pennines looking to find the mighty British Baseball League, a faded letter in his pocket offering him £650k to continue his career as a 3b for the Shropshire Slashers. We wish the lad good fortune in finding his way out of the fog and muck so he can continue his
Baseball’s Topics: Aye, it has been more than a fortnight since we’ve heard of poor Bradley O’Miller. When last seen he was headed toward the moors near the Pennines, a well-worn letter in his pocket offering him £650k to play for the Shropshire Slashers as their new 3b. We wish him all the best as he makes his way through the fog and.muck to begin his career anew.
With ten starts, Montgomery gets a $45M (could be more) guarantee, which is less than Snell ($62M) but not a family crisis nor an opportunity to have Bing Crosby sing “Brother Can You Spare A Dime:”. But he’s going to change agents, and he should. This would be true if his agent were boras, or anyone else. That much of a miss is judgement and marketing is too much. He’s going to need a fresh face. I still think he’s a quality starter and will show it, get a bigger contract send time around, or maybe an extension on this, but the market (Owners) have made their point.
How does Jose Urena keep getting jobs in the major leagues? And with the world champs at that
Somebody should put together a “how did these guys ever stay in the majors?” list.
IMO, classy move by Mr Rubenstein including Mr. Bloomberg in the ownership group. Baltimore City’s number one employer is Johns Hopkins. Bloomberg is an alum and not just any alum. The amount of money he has poured back in to his school of learning is stunning … which in turn helps keep the city economically afloat in a major league way.
At the onset of free agency the “Boras Four” were expected to sign for a combined 31 years and $964 million dollars. In the end they signed for a combined 9 years and $228 million in guaranteed money. Bad market conditions and the fact that Boras seems to be losing his clout led to the most anticlimactic ending since the Titanic hit the iceberg
The Rubenstein group is not paying $1.725B for the controlling share. They are paying an amount for 40% of the team that gives the Orioles a valuation of $1.725B.
Put more simply, they are paying about $690M for 40% of the team, making 100% of the team have a value of $1.725B.
So another way of looking at it is the Angelos family got a check for only $690 mil?
Or about 300 after tax
Taxes on corporate acquisitions aren’t the same as a christmas bonus check
Wealthy people find a way to pay as little taxes as possible
abovethelaw.com/2024/02/the-upcoming-baltimore-ori…
Oh, Nick Deeds. Still doesn’t get how commas work. “… free agent signings and, typically, some minor trades.” The placement here is all wrong. There either is an Oxford comma before “and” or no commas at all.