When the Tampa Bay Rays asked Mason Montgomery to move from the starting rotation to the bullpen, he summed up his thoughts in one word.
“Indifferent,” Montgomery said.
Montgomery isn’t indifferent about being a relief pitcher anymore. He made the transition midway through the 2024 season with Triple-A Durham and made his MLB debut with the Tampa Bay Rays by the end of that year. Montgomery then made 57 relief appearances for the Rays last season.
Now, the Pittsburgh Pirates hope Montgomery can be a key part of their bullpen in 2026 and beyond. He was one of three players acquired from the Rays on Dec. 19 with second baseman Brandon Lowe and outfielder Jake Magnum in a three-team trade in which the Pirates sent right-hander Mike Burrows to the Houston Astros.
Montgomery, 25, embraces the challenge of coming out of the bullpen after thinking he would be a big-league starter when selected in the sixth round of the 2021 amateur draft from Texas Tech. Of course, his 0-7 record and 8.56 ERA at the time of the switch gave Montgomery a different perspective.
“I think it was good for me because in the starting position, I kind of hit a roadblock,” Montgomery said. “I had spent five, six months in that season, in ’24, just trying different things and trying to seek out success. Whenever I moved to the bullpen, it opened up my mind. It changed my mindset a little bit from a marathon mentality to a sprint.
“Like, hey, I’m going to go out there, and I’m going to have 25-30 pitches, so let’s just give it all you got for 30 pitches. There is no need to make your arm last or work around guys or whatever it might have been.”
Montgomery has narrowed his arsenal of pitches since moving to the bullpen. He throws a fastball that can reach 100 mph, along with a sharp slider.
Montgomery still needs refinement, as he showed this past season, when he posted a 5.67 ERA while walking 27 and allowing six home runs in 46 innings. However, he has also shown the ability to blow big league hitters away with 80 strikeouts in just 55 2/3 innings.
The Pirates are hoping Montgomery can give them a strong second left-hander in the bullpen with Gregory Soto, who signed a one-year, $7.75-million contract as a free agent earlier this month.
Montgomery admittedly knows little about the Pirates’ organization. He also has never been to Pittsburgh. Yet Montgomery is looking forward to a new adventure.
“A lot of people have said they like the city,” Montgomery said. “I know it’s going to be colder than Tampa. A lot of guys have said PNC (Park) is one of their favorite parks. I’m excited for that. I’m excited to see that. The pictures look beautiful. It’ll be cool to be able to see that. I’ve heard a lot of good things. I know there’s a lot of history with the Pittsburgh Pirates and with the city in general. So that’s cool.”