The Arizona Diamondbacks made their contract option choices for 2025 over the past two days, with no unexpected outcomes regarding who will remain with the team or who will depart.
The team opted to keep third baseman Eugenio Suarez with his $15 million option and right-hander Merrill Kelly with his $7 million option, while they declined to exercise reliever Scott McGough’s $4 million option. Designated hitters Joc Pederson and outfielder/DH Randal Grichuk both chose buyouts instead of activating their mutual options for the coming year, making them free agents. Also, left-hander Jordan Montgomery exercised his $22.5 million option for 2025. Suarez’s decision was, in some respects, the most surprising among the group.
The option was part of a seven-year, $66 million contract extension that Eugenio Suarez signed with the Cincinnati Reds in March 2018. Four years later, the Reds traded him to the Seattle Mariners in a move that appeared to be primarily financial. At that time, it seemed more probable that Suarez would be released by the Mariners rather than have his 2025 option picked up.
As recently as midsummer, it looked unlikely that Suarez’s option would even be considered. By the end of June, he was batting just .196/.279/.312. However, Suarez had a fantastic final three months of the season, hitting .312 with 24 home runs and a .974 OPS. He ended the season with a .256 batting average, 30 home runs, and 101 RBIs. In contrast, Jordan Montgomery had a disappointing year, posting a 6.23 ERA over 117 innings. The Diamondbacks had signed him just days before the season began, and despite entering the offseason as one of the top left-handed starters available, he ended up with a one-year, $25 million guaranteed contract from the Diamondbacks.
This contract included a player option that would activate after he made 10 starts. Following the season, Diamondbacks owner Ken Kendrick criticized the Montgomery signing in a radio interview, taking personal responsibility for the decision. “What I can say is this: If anyone wants to blame someone for Jordan Montgomery being a Diamondback, I’m the one to blame,” Kendrick stated on 98.7 FM. “I brought it to the attention of our baseball operations department. I advocated for it, and they went along with it.”
“It wasn’t part of our game plan. He was signed right at the end of spring training, and looking back, it was a terrible decision to invest that money in someone who performed so poorly. From a talent perspective, that was our biggest mistake this season, and I take responsibility for it.” The choice regarding Kelly’s option was straightforward, considering how well he has pitched throughout his career, particularly in the last three seasons where he has maintained a 3.45 ERA over 76 starts. Both Pederson and Grichuk had solid performances at the plate, likely positioning themselves for pay increases in free agency. This is especially true for Pederson, who finished with a .275/.393/.515 batting line and 23 home runs as a designated hitter.
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