One former member of the St. Louis Cardinals surprisingly still is looking for his next opportunity.
The Cardinals dealt veteran lefty Jordan Montgomery to the Texas Rangers ahead of the 2023 trade deadline and he helped lead the club to the World Series. Montgomery had a great season and finished with an overall 3.20 ERA and 166-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 188 2/3 innings pitched.
Montgomery somehow still is available and one club that reportedly is showing interest in him is the New York Yankees, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.
"The Yankees seemed to prefer (Blake Snell) since their analytics folks have the same issues with Montgomery as when they traded him away, namely that he doesn’t throw especially hard, and doesn’t miss enough bats," Heyman said. "Plus, true or not, word got out that Montgomery preferred to go elsewhere.
"Anyway, if Montgomery and the Yankees aren’t each other’s first choices, they may have little choice now. Sources say they are back in contact. A gap exists, but at least they’re talking."
Montgomery was acquired by the Cardinals in a trade with the Yankees in 2022 and impressed. The big lefty was the club's top starter in 2023 before being traded to Texas and will play a major role for whichever team ends up signing him.
He has been looking for a massive deal, but with Opening Day right around the corner, it wouldn't be surprising to see Montgomery get his next opportunity soon. If his price tag continues to drop maybe a reunion with St. Louis could make sense. It sounds like there will be some competition for his services.
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