Diamondbacks GM makes feelings clear on Jordan Montgomery as 2025 Opening Day nears

After a disappointing 2024, Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery is looking to bounce back this year and general manager Mike Hazen is seemingly confident that he can. The 32-year-old pitcher joined the Diamondbacks as a free agent in March 2024 and has since struggled to find his form, recording one of the worst seasons of his career. However, Montgomery has shown improvement in Spring Training this year and the Arizona GM believes that he has now found his rhythm.

Jordan Montgomery started his MLB career with the New York Yankees in 2017 and was eventually traded to the St. Louis Cardinals in the final year of his contract. The Cardinals traded him to the Texas Rangers in 2023, where he helped them to the World Series title. However, his numbers fell after his move to the Diamondbacks last year. In 2024, Montgomery had a 8-7 record, with a disapponting 6.23 ERA while making 21 starts.

Hence, both Montgomery and the Diamondbacks want him to get back to his best this season. Speaking on a recent episode of Baseball Isn't Boring podcast posted on Sunday, GM Mike Hazen made his feelings on the pitcher very clear:

(11:00 - 12:00)

"He's in phenomenal shape. He looks great and ball's starting to come out... Velocity is there, I think he's getting back into the rhythm of Spring Training. Had a little bit of a hiccup at the very beginning with his finger, that's settled now. And now he's just getting back onto his mound progression."

"Look, this guy's track record is too long and too good to not be a good pitcher. He's young, he's in the prime of his career and he's in fantastic shape. So that's usually a recipe for me that these guys are going to bounce back."

With Arizona having signed Corbin Burnes this offseason, Jordan Montgomery will have to fight for a spot in the starting rotation. His last outing was a step in the right direction but the pitcher will have to back it up consistency over the course of the season.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo reveals his first impression of Jordan Montgomery after offseason

After his turbulent season with the Arizona Diamondbacks last year, there was some controversy surrounding Jordan Montgomery when their pricipal owner called it a horrible decision to sign him. Since then, Montgomery has been focused on making a comeback. Speaking on a recent episode of Foul Territory, manager Torey Lovullo said that he could see the change in him from the first day of Spring Training:

"He made a commitment to this group, to me, to this organization that he was going to come in to this Spring Training in the best shape of his life and he looks great ... When somebody walks in the door and they've dropped as much weight as he has, you know they had a really, really disciplined offseason."

Montgomery is currently one of six starting pitchers available for Arizona but it remains to be seen what the upcoming MLB season holds for him.