Cardinals Reportedly May Trade Star Ahead Of Trade Deadline; Would Move Make Sense?

St. Louis is sure to be busy in the trade market this summer

With over two months remaining until the 2023 MLB Trade Deadline, there are sure to be plenty of rumors. 

Some rumors may come to fruition, while many ultimately will just be social media chatter. One team that is sure to be in a plethora of trade rumors is the St. Louis Cardinals without a doubt. St. Louis could be buyers or sellers by the time the trade deadline rolls around, although the club is more likely to be buyers. 

The Cardinals had one of if not the worst starts to a season in team history, yet currently sit just five games behind the National League Central-leading Milwaukee Brewers. St. Louis has been one of the hottest teams in baseball in May and if the club can keep up the momentum there's no reason why they can't compete for a postseason spot. 

If the club bottoms out and falls to the bottom of the standings once again, it would make sense to make a few trades, and one player that reportedly could be considered is left-handed starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman. 

"Most figure the slow-starting Cardinals will stay in it and probably win it," Heyman said. “They have the two monsters [Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt] and the kid [Nolan Gorman] is killing it,” one rival said. If they continue to confound, however, Montgomery is a free-agent-to-be, and though they’ve expressed interest in keeping him, there’s no evidence they are negotiating. Wouldn’t it be something if he were traded back to the Yankees?"

At this point, the Cardinals need more starting pitching, not less. Montgomery will be a free agent at the end of the season and at just 30 years old likely will command a large contract. The 2024 free agent starting pitching class is very deep with the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Julio Urias, Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, and Marcus Stroman all potentially available plus many others, Because of the depth of the market, Montgomery may not receive too large of a contract and certainly could be back in St. Louis. 

He has struggled -- like the remainder of the Cardinals' starting rotation -- to begin the season compiling a 4.55 ERA in 10 starts, but things have started to turn around and he's allowed three runs or fewer in four of his last six starts. Montgomery has compiled an ERA of 3.88 or lower in each season of his career where he made 29 starts or more, it would be expected that his ERA will continue to go down this season. 

Montgomery is a very solid lefty who can be a top-of-the-rotation hurler when he's at his best. By the time his career ends, he very well could rack up a few All-Star nods and after acquiring him last season in a trade with the New York Yankees, it wouldn't make much sense for St. Louis to deal him, even if the club isn't in contention in the summer.

More MLB: Two Stars Reportedly Linked To Cardinals As Potential Trade Deadline Candidates