The Yankees Have Acquired Outfielder Harrison Bader from Cardinals in Exchange for Jordan Montgomery

Tuesday August 2, 2022

The Yankees and Cardinals Made a Last-minute Outfielder-pitcher Trade

The Cardinals and Yankees announced a trade in which left-hander Jordan Montgomery will be sent to St. Louis in exchange for Harrison Bader.

In 114 innings this season, Montgomery, had a 4.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio and a 3.69 ERA. He’s set to become a free agent after the 2023 season. Montgomery’s primary pitching arsenal consists of a 93-mph fastball, a low-80s changeup, and a curveball. This season, he has thrown strikes and generated a career-high 46 percent of ground balls.

Bader, 28, will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season. He’s currently on the injured list. He’ll be back before the end of the regular season, but not anytime soon. According to MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch, Bader will be placed in a walking boot for a week or two.

Before his injury, Bader hit 5 home runs and 15 stolen bases. According to Baseball-Reference, he’s the best-fielding outfielder in the MLB. In other words, the Yankees would be justified in using Bader as their center fielder and relegating Aaron Judge to the corner.

The Yankees signed Frankie Montas earlier this week, and Luis Severino is recovering from an injury. This gave them a total of 6 starting pitching options.

Even after acquiring José Quintana from the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Cardinals needed pitching help. Dylan Carlson, one of the players looked by the San Diego Padres in a potential trade for Juan Soto, they must have considered Bader expendable.

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