Getty The Cardinals could get involved with free-agent hurler Jordan Montgomery, but his price would first have to drop.
The St. Louis Cardinals have had an active offseason after a disappointing 71-91 performance in 2023. But now that the Chicago Cubs have finally improved their chances of contending by re-signing outfielder Cody Bellinger, how might the Redbirds respond? A reunion with old friend Jordan Montgomery is on the table, but there’s a catch.
When asked about the Cardinals’ chances of signing Montgomery to further revamp their rotation, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold left the door open.
“I feel safe in saying that there are many teams — well, multiple teams who would be interested in Montgomery if his price dropped,” he said. “If he dropped to a spot where the Cardinals could no longer ignore his availability and enter the chat, well, then they’d be competing with other teams trying to convince him to sign, and either up goes the price or he’d have to want to be a Cardinal.
“It hurts Montgomery’s market, apparently, that one of the teams that sure makes sense for him has not been spending much at all, and remains in limbo for the TV rights issue. That really seems to have shifted his market, from my vantage point.”
Bellinger signed a three-year, $80 million deal with Chicago that includes player opt-outs after 2024 and 2025, per Spotrac. That has opened the possibility for other Scott Boras clients to potentially do the same thing to end a prolonged free agency experience.
Cardinals Have Revamped Their Rotation for 2024
A majority of the Cardinals’ offseason roster building focused on improving the pitching staff. The 2024 starting rotation currently has three new members: Sonny Gray, Kyle Gibson and Lance Lynn. They didn’t waste any time to make these signings, either.
All three were made between November 21 and November 27. Gray was the big fish, as he signed a three-year, $75 million contract. Gibson and Lynn are short-term commitments, with each signing a one-year deal.
Making these early moves and doing nothing since shows the Cardinals are comfortable with their rotation mix heading toward Opening Day. But that can change when a situation presents itself. Nabbing a pitcher they’re familiar with like Montgomery on a short-term deal might just be too good to pass up. As Goold said, a lowered asking price would increase the competition for his services, but it’d at least be worth a try.
Montgomery Would Help St. Louis’ Worst-to-First Chances
The 2023 season was a banner year in the worst way imaginable for St. Louis. That 71-91 performance was the first losing season they produced since 2007, per Baseball Reference. Their win total hasn’t been that low since the Strike-shortened 1994 season when they won 53 games (not counting the 60-game 2020 season).
Baseball Prospectus’ PECOTA projections currently think the Cardinals will be the 2024 National League Central champions. They’re not expected to run away with it, though, as their win-total projection is just 84.4 games.
Adding a dependable and effective hurler like Montgomery would surely increase their chances of returning to the postseason. He’s started at least 30 games in each of the last three years. It included a career-best 3.20 ERA with a career-high 188.2 innings in 2023. The southpaw spent parts of 2022 and 2023 with the Cardinals, as well.
St. Louis acquired him from the New York Yankees at the 2022 trade deadline. Then, they traded him to the Texas Rangers the following summer. In 32 starts (184.1 innings) for the club, he went 12-12 with a 3.31 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 169 strikeouts.