With Blake Snell finally off the board, all eyes are on Jordan Montgomery, the clear-cut best free agent remaining. While the Chicago Cubs were never really mentioned in Snell talks, they have been listed in certain Montgomery rumors, and it’s easy to see why.

Montgomery, unlike Snell, does not come with qualifying offer compensation. This means that the Cubs would not have to forfeit draft compensation to sign him. The Cubs could use another arm, especially with Jameson Taillon likely to begin the season on the injured list, but it sounds like Montgomery is not an option.

The Athletic’s ($) Sahadev Sharma reported that while the Cubs like him, “The reality is the Cubs don’t appear to be a real contender for his services.” There is one major roadblock in their way. The luxury tax.

“That the Cubs aren’t in on the free agents who would be the most obvious upgrades implies that the front office has to be budget-conscious,” writes Sharma. “They are right at the first luxury tax threshold and the expectation is that they will pass it due to the normal roster churn that occurs throughout a season. The only way that doesn’t happen is if they end up shedding payroll (likely meaning they’re sellers) at the trade deadline. But if they’re competing at the deadline and revenues are strong, there is a belief that more money could become available and they could go over that first threshold without too much concern. How far over and whether they could even top the second luxury tax threshold is the question.”

With Montgomery likely looking at a short-term high-AAV deal, the Cubs would have to commit to having a higher payroll this season. From the sound of things, they’re unwilling to go much higher than they have, which is a shame because they’re able to get a frontline starter in his prime without committing to term. It seems like a great deal.

MLB Rumors: Don’t expect a Mike Trout trade anytime soon

Mike Trout has spent all 13 of his MLB seasons thus far with the Los Angeles Angels and has done historically great things. He’s arguably the greatest player of this generation. He’s a lock to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer when all is said and done. The only thing missing from his resume is a World Series trophy.

Not only has Trout yet to make an appearance in the World Series, he hasn’t even been a part of a postseason win. In fact, he has just one postseason appearance, and that came back in 2014. The Angels were swept in the ALDS by the Royals. All baseball fans want to see is Trout get back to the big stage in October, but that isn’t coming anytime soon.

The Angels lost Shohei Ohtani and did virtually nothing this offseason to get better. They improved their bullpen, but that’s about it. Their lineup and rotation look less than exciting. With one of the worst farm systems in the league and the worst owner in the sport running the show, it’s hard to envision this Angels team winning anytime soon. With that in mind, a Mike Trout trade would make every baseball fan happy knowing he has a chance of playing in October again. Unfortunately, that’s not going to happen for a variety of reasons outlined by Jon Heyman of the NY Post.

“There’s no consideration to ask for a trade, and that goes for both sides. Even if Trout wanted out, there are three big reasons it isn’t happening: 1) A couple injury-riddled seasons have lessened his value, so the Angels might have to offset some of his $35.5 million salary, 2) he is the one marquee man remaining after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani got his heavily deferred $700 million deal 45 miles up the I-5 with the Dodgers, and 3) it’s hard to see owner Arte Moreno consenting to trade the greatest player in Angels history.”

This really comes down to Trout doesn’t want to leave, the Angels don’t want him to go, and if both sides wanted a breakup for whatever reason, the Angels wouldn’t get nearly enough for him in return to justify it. Trout, while still a star, has been very injury prone in recent seasons, has a ton of money and term left on his contract, and is getting up there in age. Teams around the league won’t give the haul that the Angels would want to actually give away the best player in their franchise’s history.

Perhaps if Trout demands a trade the Angels would do right by him and let him go, but it doesn’t feel like Trout even wants out. It might be jarring to some fans, but Trout is incredibly loyal and seems happy in Anaheim even with the losing. It’s not what fans want, but it’s something they have to accept.

MLB Rumors: Astros not planning on pivoting to Jordan Montgomery

The Houston Astros were a late arrival in the Blake Snell sweepstakes, but it seemed like they had a legitimate shot at landing him. Reports circulated that Snell gave Houston demands and that there was mutual interest, but in the end, no deal was made and Snell is now a San Francisco Giant.

The Astros missing out on Snell might not have seemed like a big deal a couple of weeks ago, but now, it’s not ideal. Houston, a team normally stockpiled with tremendous starting pitching depth, is dealing with tons of injury issues on that front.

Justin Verlander, Lance McCullers Jr., Luis Garcia, and now Jose Urquidy are expected to begin the year on the IL. That’s nearly an entire rotation – and a pretty good one! With those four out, one of Ronel Blanco or Brandon Bielak would presumably enter the Opening Day rotation. Those pitchers aren’t awful, but aren’t the options that a team vying for a World Series championship would want to turn to.

Thankfully, if no setbacks occur, Verlander should be back soon, but the others have timetables much further down the line. With that in mind, it’d behoove Houston to add another arm. A natural pivot from Snell would be to Montgomery, another high-priced option to fit at the front of their rotation, but if what MLB Network’s Jim Bowden is saying is true, then it sounds like Montgomery is not an option.

Why Houston wouldn’t consider Montgomery is beyond me. Perhaps Montgomery is only seeking a long-term deal? That’d be foolish on his part, but who knows at this point? Montgomery is a battle-tested starter who is more than consistent and has proven he can pitch on the biggest stage and in the AL West. What more do the Astros need to see?