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It’s been a hot-and-cold kind of offseason for the New York Yankees. Things started hot by acquiring outfielders Juan Soto and Trent Grisham from the San Diego Padres via trade. And then, things got cold when they lost out on bringing starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the Bronx.
As the calendar turns to 2024 and spring training is a mere six weeks away from starting, New York still has work to do on its roster.
General manager Brian Cashman and company are interested in acquiring two players they shipped off in separate trades in 2022.
The Yankees sent starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader at the 2022 trade deadline. The left-handed hurler began 2023 in St. Louis before getting dealt to the Texas Rangers. He posted a 2.79 ERA in 67.1 regular-season innings before helping Texas win its first-ever World Series title. New York’s interest in Montgomery isn’t new.
Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported on November 23 that the Yankees were open to a reunion with the pitcher.
The other player the Bombers have an interest in bringing back is infielder Gio Urshela, per Will Sammon of The Athletic.
While the third baseman was limited to 62 games in 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels because of injury, he’s a veteran with a decent bat and a solid defensive reputation. The Yankees traded him, along with catcher Gary Sanchez, to the Minnesota Twins for Isiah Kiner-Falefa and Josh Donaldson before the 2022 season.
Is a Reunion With Jordan Montgomery Possible?
Greg Joyce of the New York Post noted that the Yankees parted with Montgomery in 2022 partially because they didn’t see him as part of their postseason rotation. But now, the southpaw is looking for a contract in the vicinity of what New York awarded Carlos Rodon last winter (six years, $162 million).
Are there any hard feelings over the circumstances of his trade to the Cardinals? Montgomery told reporters on October 27, including Joyce, that there’s no “bad blood” between him and New York.
It won’t be an easy pursuit for the Bombers if Montgomery is their top rotation target. Now that Yamamoto has signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, other available starting pitchers can see their respective markets take shape. This not only includes Montgomery but also Blake Snell and Shōta Imanaga.
Joyce reported that other than the Yankees, the southpaw has drawn interest from the Angels, Rangers, Boston Red Sox, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants this winter.
A Yankees Foe Is Also in on Gio Urshela
Speaking of the Mets, they find themselves interested in a player the Yankees are also pursuing, per Mark W. Sanchez of the New York Post. They were both just part of the Yamamoto sweepstakes until the very end. Potentially competing for Urshela’s services won’t grab nearly as many headlines, though.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns said on December 4 that the club would use an internal solution for third base in 2024, per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman. But then, top prospect Ronny Mauricio tore his ACL and is on the sideline for the foreseeable future. That has prompted Stearns to sniff around the veteran third base market for some additional depth.
Could the Yankees bring back one — or both — of their former players after trading them away not too long ago? Whether they do or not, it’s yet another lesson in how quickly situations can change in baseball for both teams and players.
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