So far, the Chicago Cubs’ offseason has been quite the experience.
They signed the manager who is widely regarded as the best in the game, which looked to be a terrific way to start their winter. After that hire, they had great expectations for signing one of the superstars available.
However, nothing has gone according to plan through the first part of January.
They failed to secure a significant piece in the trade market and were passed over by Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani in free agency.
The Cubs’ peaceful offseason may soon come to an end as they are thought to be finalists for another Japanese star, but for now, one must take a “believe it when I see it” stance with everything that comes their way.
Further stoking the flames, two different MLB insiders have connected Chicago to one of the best starting pitchers available, which is a novel occurrence.
Jordan Montgomery was mentioned by The Athletic’s Jim Bowden and Patrick Mooney in their respective articles about the Cubs.
According to Bowden, “The Cubs remain in the mix for Cody Bellinger, Rhys Hoskins and Jordan Montgomery but haven’t been aggressive enough to get close to signing any of them, according to major-league sources.”
Chicago’s involvement with Rhys Hoskins and Cody Bellinger has been widely publicised, but the Montgomery connection seems to have emerged out of nowhere.
Despite their dire need to add someone to their rotation, they have shown little interest in the left-handed starter.
Montgomery, who is 31 years old, has experience pitching in high-leverage situations and the playoff experience this team needs.
However, how likely is it that they will sign the lefty?
This is when the report by Mooney becomes relevant.
“Among the top free agents represented by Boras, Jordan Montgomery is viewed as a better potential fit for the Cubs than Blake Snell, per a team source, though it’s unclear how far Hoyer’s group is willing to go in that pursuit of pitching,” he states.