Who Won the Cardinals-Yankees Jordan Montgomery Deal at Summer?

Just minutes before the close, the Cardinals and Yankees struck a deal on MLB players

It was reported Just minutes before the MLB trade deadline, that the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees have made a trade involving major leagues.

The Cardinals traded center fielder Harrison Bader and a player later named the Yankees for left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery.

MLB Trade Grades: Cardinals – B

As we mentioned in this article earlier on Tuesday, the St. Louis Cardinals desperately needed to start their starting rotation. José Quintana was a good start, but they needed a bit more starting depth.

Miles Mikolas and Adam Wainwright were their only starters who were fine and healthy in the season. Dakota Hudson and Steven Matz are both seriously injured and have played below league average (Hudson has a 94 ERA+ and Matz has a 68 ERA+).

In July, their starters had a 4.40 ERA, which equates to 23rd in baseball. With their ace Jack Flaherty on the 60-day IL, they needed more and Montgomery will help a lot.

Montgomery, 29, leads the American League in starts at 21 and he has a 3.69 ERA. He has a 104 ERA+, a 3.91 FIP and a 1.099 WHIP. He also averages 1.8 walks and 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

If the season ended today, the Cardinals would have to play in the National League Wild Card Series, so they would need up to three starters in the series. Montgomery may or may not be one of those guys, but he’s a good middle to back head who starts the rotation for them. He is also under team control next season.

MLB Trade Grades: Yankees – C-

Harrison Bader is a great defender… when he’s healthy. But he is not healthy. He’s on the injured list with plantar fasciitis. He last played in the majors on June 26.

He has played in 73 games and has scored .256/.303/.370 with a 93 OPS+ in the season. He is a good baserunner (15 stolen bases) and a good defender in recent history (Gold Glove Winner and 15 Defensive Runs Saved in 2021).

But right now, the Yankees haven’t been doing well for letting go of initial pitching depth for someone who’s injured. That’s not much, at least for a start.