By Miguel Rapetti
Mar 27, 2024, 7:39 PM EDT
The New York Yankees were left without their main aspirations for their rotation, with the failures in the signing of free agents Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but apparently the latter was very close to reaching the Bronx but did not do so due to the conditions of the contract they offered him.
According to reports from journalist Jim Bowden, a panelist for CBS Sports and The Athletic portal, the intention of the Yankees and the offer to Montgomery was based on a deferred contract for many years similar to the one that Bobby Bonilla signed at the time with the New York Mets or the one Shohei Ohtani recently agreed to with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The negotiation that the mules were looking for was to agree to a multi-year agreement with the left-handed pitcher but to postpone the payment of the contract between 15 and 20 years, which would have been closer to the Bonilla negotiation that has been collected every July 1 since 2011 by the Mets. $1,193,248.20 dollars and will do so until 2035, this being considered the worst contract in the history of the Major Leagues.
The offer from the Yankees immediately made Montgomery recoil, who was interested in returning to the organization with which he debuted in 2017 and in which he spent five seasons.
After that and despite aspiring to a contract of at least $170 million dollars and five seasons, Montgomery ended up signing for $25 million dollars and one season with the Diamondbacks, with an option for 2025 for $20 million dollars.
The injured arm signing was a major blow to the aspirations of the New York Yankees for 2024, who saw in him a chance to replace rotation ace Gerrit Cole who suffered inflammation in his pitching elbow and will stay away from the diamonds. between 10 and 12 weeks.
For this reason, the Yankees rotation, at least for the first five games against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park and another against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field, will be made up of Néstor Cortés, who will take the ball on Opening Day, followed by Carlos Rodón, Marcus Stroman, Clarke Schmidt and the young Dominican Luis Gil.
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