3 reasons why Jordan Montgomery makes more sense than Blake Snell for the Angels

2) Jordan Montgomery gives the Angels more reliability than Blake Snell

While the draft pick and international money are important factors here, there are reasons performance-wise why the Angels should prioritize Montgomery over Snell.

Jordan Montgomery gives the Angels something they lack in a big way. Reliability. The southpaw takes the ball every fifth day and eats up innings. He might not look like an ace, but those two things are crucial.

In each of the last three seasons, Montgomery has made at least 30 starts with at least 157 innings of work. Since that 2021 season, Montgomery is 10th in games started and 17th in innings pitched. He's become one of the more reliable starting pitchers in terms of simply taking the ball.

Snell on the other hand, has had just two seasons of 30+ starts in his eight-year career. In those seasons he's been quite good, but the question of if he'll even take the ball consistently is a legitimate one. He has only three seasons of 25+ starts.

Even when Snell is on, he still doesn't give great length. His 180 innings of work led him to his Cy Young victory, but were actually 8.2 fewer than Montgomery. The Angels wouldn't get the upside if they sign Montgomery, but would get a very effective and reliable innings eater while Snell is more of a wild card.