Complete silence surrounding Jordan Montgomery could give LA Angels one more shot

After missing out on the Blake Snell sweepstakes, it's now time for the Los Angeles Angels to shift their focus toward another veteran pitcher in Jordan Montgomery.

As momentum built over where Snell would sign the last few weeks, Montgomery's name has been left in the dark, but with the left-hander leading the pack of the last top free agents available, the time for the Angels to make a move is now.

The Angels are under two weeks away from their season opener against the Baltimore Orioles and are currently without an ace to lead the rotation.

While it would be unlikely that Montgomery would be the Angels' Opening Day starter due to missing a full spring training, he would still be a pitcher that could command the staff and be a name for the younger pitchers to rely on.

Right now, the Angels are preparing to present their first five-man rotation for the first time in six years, due to the departure of Shohei Ohtani. While nothing has been officially announced, right-handed pitcher Griffin Canning is set to be the starting pitcher on Opening Day, followed by Patrick Sandoval, Reid Detmers, Tyler Anderson, and Chase Silseth, who spent most of last season in the bullpen. That is, quite simply, not the best this franchise can do.

While the Angels' projected rotation is solid, bringing in a veteran like Montgomery would only benefit the starting rotation.

LA Angels' chances of signing Jordan Montgomery

After a promising start to his career with the New York Yankees, Montgomery was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, and would again be traded last season to help the Texas Rangers win their first World Series in franchise history.

During his time in Texas, Montgomery pitched in 11 games, putting together a 4-2 record with a 2.79 ERA and 58 strikeouts, while also putting on a dominant performance in the ALCS to help send the Rangers to the World Series for the first time since 2011.

Right now, the Angels have one of the younger rosters in baseball for the first time in years, as Anderson is the only pitcher who is over 30 years old. The oldest pitchers after him are both Canning and Sandoval, who are 27 years old. Both Detmers and Silseth are under 25.

While the Angels do have a young group that they will be able to rely on in the future, they were still among the league's worst in pitching last year, finishing 23rd in the league in ERA (4.64) and 24th in wins (73).

After struggling with injuries in the early stages of his career, Montgomery has earned a reputation for going deep into games, as he has pitched over 150 innings over the last three years, including a career-high of 188.2 last season. The Angels have not had a pitcher pitch over 150 innings since Ohtani did in 2022.

With the Angels itching closer to the start of the regular season and how slow the pace of this years free agency has been, the question remains, "Why not?"