While the Atlanta Braves have certainly thrown some money around (although not yet this offseason) to build their roster, one of the ways that the Braves' front office has gained an advantage in recent years is making unorthodox/unpopular moves to their benefit. One need only to last offseason when they addressed their rotation need by converting Reynaldo Lopez from reliever to starter and then trading for Chris Sale who ended up winning the Cy Young.
With Max Fried now a Yankee, adding another quality starter would be nice heading into 2025. Sure, Atlanta has a lot of young pitchers that they could give an opportunity, but none of those guys are sure things and the Braves are trying to win a World Series here. For that reason, the Braves have been loosely connected to a number of starting pitchers this offseason albeit with nothing to show for it.
One name that has begun to gain some traction is the Diamondback's Jordan Montgomery. Montgomery had a crummy 2024 season and after Arizona's owner publicly disrespected him, the vast majority of observers think Arizona simply has to trade him now and the Braves could be a fit.
As to what such a trade would have to look like to make sense for the Braves, that is a bit trickier.
Examining what a Braves-Jordan Montgomery trade could look like
First, we need to understand Montgomery's current value. He was one of the more consistent lefty starters in baseball from 2021 to 2023 including in the postseason which is why he tried so hard (albeit unsuccessfully) to get a big payday last offseason. However, he also was really bad with Arizona last season with a 6.23 ERA with troubling walk and strikeout trends and Montgomery is owed $22.5 million next season after he exercised his player option.
The Diamondbacks have since tried to save face when it comes to Montgomery by saying that they think he will be better next season, but the damage has already been done. Arizona wants to trade Montgomery, everyone knows it, and they have basically zero leverage once their owner went on the record in public blasting him.
One school of thought is a straight "take on the 'bad' contract" approach to a trade. If Atlanta was willing to absorb $15 million of Montgomery's contract, Arizona might just take that at this point and call it good. However, the model the Braves used for the Sale trade may be more likely and even more fruitful.
Montgomery doesn't have Sale's upside or pedigree, so giving up a name like Vaughn Grissom shouldn't be needed here. The Diamondbacks would get a pitching prospect in Reyes who has some decent raw stuff, but is a long ways away, has some command problems, and probably profiles as a reliever in the big leagues. However, the talent is good enough for Arizona to sell the move as a lottery ticket that could help them in the future.
In exchange, the Braves would get Montgomery and only be on the hook for $11.5 million in 2025. For a guy that could easily rebound next season and be a solid to very good piece of the rotation, that is a gamble Atlanta should at least give a shot. At that financial hit, the Braves could still make other roster additions this offseason without going too far over the luxury tax threshold. The luxury tax isn't a huge concern for the Braves, but it would be an added bonus here.
Ultimately, going for a Montgomery just comes down to how Atlanta evaluates him going forward. While he has never been a big swing and miss guy which is somewhat concerning, it would still be a massive win if Montgomery can at least approach the guy he was before last season. If not, risk for the Braves in this deal (or one like it) is pretty minimal and would still allow for a pivot to internal options like AJ Smith-Shawver, Hurston Waldrep, or even Ian Anderson if need be.