MLB insider hints at Yankees' current Jordan Montgomery contract offer

The New York Yankees, facing a rotation wracked by injuries and in need of valuable depth, have (thankfully) not ruled out a pursuit of Jordan Montgomery. Ideally, Montgomery hasn't ruled out a reunion with the Yankees, either. Hopefully, if Brian Cashman comes calling, he'll be receptive this late in the offseason despite lingering bad feelings from the 2022 trade deadline.

Nobody wants him coming home begrudgingly, though. A player harboring negative feelings about his own bosses can't be great for chasing a united goal. But we digress. Getting too far ahead of ourselves for a guy who's being lightly pursued by six or seven rumored teams and seriously pursued by none of them.

At this point, Montgomery has to be reaching the point of compromise. It doesn't take an expert logician to realize the baseball season starts in two days, and he is a professional baseball player. Monty won't be ready for Opening Day, but the sooner he hooks on, the better; providing quality innings/length becomes less impactful the longer you wait to start providing quality innings.

Per reports, Montgomery started the offseason hoping for an Aaron Nola-type deal (which was announced by the Phillies in late November at seven years and $172 million). Now, according to Joel Sherman, he'd settle for something akin to Tyler Glasnow's contract, which involved a four-year, $112 million extension on top of his final arbitration year.

Could the Yankees get him down just a little further from that? After all, it doesn't seem like anyone's leaping at the opportunity, even as his salary decreases. At this point, you're basically paying him for May through September (and, hopefully, October).

Yankees have 'range' they'd be comfortable with on Jordan Montgomery contract

Montgomery's new ask feels more reasonable, but clearly, the sharks aren't biting.

The long game has resulted in several more teams with injury concerns -- the Orioles and Kyle Bradish, the Diamondbacks and Eduardo Rodriguez -- flirting with the idea of hopping into Montgomery's pool.

Still, despite what should be widespread interest in an innings-eater who's recently worked his way up to 75 pitches, momentum has gone from "nonexistent" to "whispered about." Montgomery's Boras brethren in Blake Snell, Matt Chapman and Cody Bellinger have all settled, and all might be back on the market after testing the waters for one season in their new homes.

Maybe the Yankees would be more amenable if Montgomery reduced his price and entertained an immediate opt-out? A team can dream, but if you think someone who was traded at the deadline with no warning two seasons ago is going to help his old team pull that off again in case things go sideways, you should probably recalibrate expectations.