MLB Rumors: Braves trade wishlist, Phillies-Trout trade, Yankees-Montgomery reunion
This offseason, the New York Yankees are expected to pursue upgrades to the pitching rotation around 2023 Cy Young winner Gerrit Cole. While the front office is being "particular" about their targets, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, Yoshinobu Yamamoto and new World Series champ Jordan Montgomery are on the list.
Yamamoto comes as no surprise, but Montgomery is an intriguing possibility. He spent the first five and a half years of his MLB career with the Yankees before getting dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline in 2022. The next year, St. Louis flipped him to the Texas Rangers, where Montgomery won a World Series.
It was an up-and-down 2023 campaign for Montgomery, who started the season 2-7 for the wayward Cardinals. St. Louis managed to lose 10 straight games with Montgomery on the mound, leading some to question his viability as a top-line starter. The Rangers put any such doubt to bed, as Montgomery went 4-2 in 11 starts with a 2.79 ERA and 1.094 WHIP after the relocation. Surprise, surprise — a quality offense can work wonders for a pitcher.
The Yankees need another reliable arm to man the rotation alongside Cole. Montgomery certainly fits the bill. He doesn't overwhelm batters with velocity, but he boasts a low 6.2 percent walk rate (82nd percentile per Baseball Savant) and he could come cheaper than some of the highest-profile arms on the market. The Rangers (and maybe even Cardinals) could also pursue a reunion, however, so New York will have to make a competitive offer.
