Ex-Yankees pitcher remains a hot target as trade deadline nears

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Just a couple of weeks ago, the St. Louis Cardinals’ president of baseball operations, John Mozeliak, admitted that they were planning to make some trades before MLB’s trade deadline on August 1. Although Mozeliak didn’t mention names, their starting pitcher and ex-Yankees player Jordan Montgomery may soon be wearing a different uniform after the team’s recent three losses to the Chicago Cubs.

According to Fangraphs, the Cardinals’ postseason odds are 5.1% at best. Mike Axisa of CBS Sports speculated that Montgomery, one of the starting pitchers still on the market, might be the best option.

Left-handed pitcher, Montgomery is getting $10 million this year and will be a free agent when the season ends. He was a starting pitcher for the Yankees before being dealt to the Cardinals in exchange for center fielder Harrison Bader in August 2022. Montgomery has pitched in the postseason twice, once with the Yankees and once with the Cardinals, so he is no stranger to the pressures of a playoff game.

Montgomery is among the top starting pitchers in 2023

Despite a rough outing in his most recent start on Sunday (when he gave up five earned runs), Jordan Montgomery has been solid this season. As of right now, he has a 6-8 record, a 3.37 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 105 K/115 IP.

Axisa claims that Montgomery’s considerable experience with the Yankees in the big market is a major factor in the team’s interest in him. When the season concludes, Montgomery will be a free-agent pitcher, and St. Louis can’t afford to ignore getting numerous offers for him now. A number of different parties are likely to submit bids for him.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that on Sunday, Montgomery informed reporters that any trade rumors they’d been hearing were nothing more than that: hearsay. He stated that he was helpless under the circumstances.

Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, two of the best starting pitchers in the league, are on the Mets’ roster. New York may not be ready to part with them because of their no-trade provisions, and other teams would have to find room in their budgets to pay for them.

On July 13, Max Goodman of NJ Advance Media reported that the Yankees would be interested in trading for Cardinals outfielder Jordan Montgomery. The Cardinals are 11 games out in the NL Central and 9 and a half games back in the wild-card race, with a record of 44-56 right now.

Montgomery, a member of the Yankees’ 2014 fourth-round draft pick, has a 3.76 career earned run average through 681 1/3 innings of work. Already at 20 starts, he’s on pace to make 30 or more for the third year in a row. In particular, on July 2, he outpitched superstar pitcher Gerrit Cole with a terrific effort.

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