Ex-Cardinals Ace Struggling With New Team; Is Reunion Worth Pursuing?

Should St. Louis reunite with the former starting pitcher?

Jul 29, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; A general view of Busch Stadium during the second inning of a game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

The St. Louis Cardinals are in a tricky spot right now with the July 30 trade deadline steadily approaching and the club still trying to establish themselves as genuine playoff contenders.

It's too early to say whether the Cardinals will buy or sell this summer but if the deadline were today, St. Louis likely would be looking to add another veteran starting pitcher.

The Cardinals have already had success reuniting with Lance Lynn this season. Could they do it again by re-signing a former St. Louis hurler who is having a difficult season with his new club?

Arizona Diamondbacks left-handed pitcher Jordan Montgomery is enduring the worst season of his career since signing with his new team late this past offseason and there's no end in sight to the streak of poor performances he's showcasing.

Montgomery has posted a 3-4 record with a 6.80 ERA, 29-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .323 batting average against and an alarming 1.73 WHIP in 46 1/3 innings pitched for the Diamondbacks in 2024.

The 31-year-old has not looked like himself from the mound this year and he reached a season-low point in Wednesday's 9-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants, where he was booed off the field after lasting only two innings and giving up six earned runs.

The reigning World Series champion signed a one-year, $25 million contract that includes a vesting option for 2025 with Arizona right before the start of the season. His former agent, Scott Boras, held out to try and land Montgomery a great deal but he ended up getting an average deal and missed all of spring training.

Missing spring training has evidently been quite consequential to Montgomery. Perhaps Arizona won't want to wait it out and will look to trade him before the deadline.

If that's the case, then it might make sense for the Cardinals to pursue a reunion. Switching up his environment and reuniting him with a club that he excelled with could help get him back on track.

Montgomery posted a 3.20 ERA with a 166-to-48 strikeout-to-walk ratio, .247 batting average against and 1.19 WHIP in 188 2/3 innings between his time with the Cardinals and the Texas Rangers. He has the ability to lead a rotation and would be a dynamic one-two punch with Sonny Gray should he find his groove again.

Considering that St. Louis was looking to reunite with Montgomery this past winter and now might have the chance to do so, it's certainly worth pursuing a reunion with him -- as long as they don't consider trading top prospects for him.

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