Inside The Cardinals

Rangers Urged To Pursue $22.5 Million Ex-Cardinals Stud In Trade

Will the former Cardinals hurler get traded this winter?

Patrick McAvoy

Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
Jul 26, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; A hat and glove of a Texas Rangers player during a game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images / John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images
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Will one former member of the St. Louis Cardinals end up changing teams this winter in a big trade?

As the 2024 Major League Baseball season winds down, there surely will be a plethora of free agent and trade rumors and speculation. It's a little too early to make any concrete predictions, but Bleacher Report's Zachary Rymer put together a list of each team's most likely trade candidates and had former Cardinals pitcher Jordan Montgomery as the Arizona Cardinals' most likely player to be moved.

"The D-backs' $25 million investment in Montgomery yielded a 6.23 ERA this season, so one can hardly blame Kendrick for his saltiness," Rymer said. "But if the lefty exercises (as he likely will) his $22.5 million option for 2025, the Snakes will have a dilemma on their hands. Rather than keeping the 31-year-old, the best thing for everyone would be a trade that would give him a fresh start elsewhere.

"The D-backs would presumably have to eat some of his 2025 salary to facilitate a deal, but likely not the entire sum...Potential Fits: Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets."

The fact that Rymer mentioned the Rangers for Montgomery is very interesting. St. Louis traded Montgomery to the Rangers in 2023, and he helped lead them to the World Series that season. It seemed like he wanted to return to Texas this past offseason, but things didn't end up working out.

He signed with the Diamondbacks on a short-term deal and struggled. Could the Rangers look to bring him back? Texas has some decisions to make and could lose some pitchers this winter, including Nathan Eovaldi. Maybe it would make sense to bring Montgomery back.

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Patrick McAvoy
PATRICK MCAVOY

Patrick McAvoy's experiences include local and national sports coverage at the New England Sports Network with a focus on baseball and basketball. Outside of journalism, Patrick also is pursuing an MBA at Brandeis University. After quickly rising as one of the most productive writers on the site, he expanded his reach to write for Baseball Essential, a national baseball site in Sports Illustrated Media Group. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding Inside The Cardinals, please reach out to Scott Neville: nevilles@merrimack.edu

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