In a candid assessment of the Arizona Diamondbacks season, team owner Ken Kendrick blasted his own decision to sign starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to a two-year, $47.5 million contract, which he now clearly sees as a major miscalculation.
The Diamondbacks failed to make the postseason, finishing third in the NL West with an 89-73 record. The finish was a falloff from last year’s magical World Series run, in which they lost 4-1 to the Texas Rangers. Kendrick told the media his regret over pushing for the club to sign Montgomery late in spring training. Montgomery was a member of the Rangers team that defeated Arizona.
“If anyone wants to blame anyone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, you’re talking to the guy that should be blamed. Because I brought it to [the front office’s] attention. I pushed for it,” said Kendrick.
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“They agreed to it. It wasn’t in our game plan when he was signed, right at the end of spring training. And looking back, in hindsight, a horrible decision to invest that money in a guy who performed as poorly as he did,” he continued. “It’s our biggest mistake this season from a talent standpoint. And I’m the perpetrator of that.”
Diamondbacks manager Mike Hazen responded to the team owner, partially sharing the blame for the costly signing. “Ideas come from everywhere, and I am ultimately responsible for saying no or yes to a lot of things. [Kendrick] presents me with ideas, and we kick around a lot of things.”
“Ultimately, it’s my job to make decisions for this organization, and I believe [Kendrick] trusts in some of these decisions that we make,” he continued. “That was a group process and I understand why we made that decision at the time, and I believe that Jordan Montgomery is going to have a better year next year.”
Jordan Montgomery’s performance was blasted by the team owner (
Getty)
Montgomery was expected to support the Diamondbacks rotation of Zac Gallen, Merrill Kelly, Brandon Pfaadt, and Eduardo Rodriguez but failed to live up to the expectations that came with his costly contract. He had the highest ERA of all starters in the rotation, 6.23, and gave up 149 hits, including 14 home runs.
The 31-year-old lefty struggled with a 7.88 ERA over seven starts, leading to his move to the Diamondbacks bullpen in August. After the switch, he made four relief appearances, delivering a 4.85 ERA and one save during that span.
Fans of the team had mixed reactions to the owner’s comments online, ranging from praise for his honesty to criticism for singling out a player. Some felt he “threw a player under the bus.
Others found it “refreshing” that an owner accepted blame publicly. Some sympathized with Montgomery’s struggles after he finished the season with an 8-7 record.
He made 21 total starts on a one-year deal worth $25 million, with the option to opt-in for $22.5 million next season, before becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
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