Frankie Montas doesn’t make sense for Cardinals, but another pitcher does

The St. Louis Cardinals appear unlikely to trade for Oakland Athletics ace Frankie Montas, per MLB insider Robert Murray. But another pitcher does make sense.

The A’s are demanding a king’s ransom for Montas, and the Cards would rather keep their MLB-ready prospects in place. The likes of Juan Yepez, Nolan Gorman and Matthew Liberatore are already contributing to the Cards roster.

So, what’s the point of trading them now?

St. Louis needs help with their starting rotation — this much is obvious. Without Steven Matz and Jack Flaherty for the time being, the Cards are bare bones in terms of reliable starters. Montas, however, is unlikely to be the answer per Murray.

“The odds of it happening would appear to be slim. But the rumors simply won’t go away. They seem to just be getting started.”

Murray reiterated this on The Baseball Insiders podcast.

Cardinals: Dallas Keuchel makes more sense as pitching depth

Keuchel got off to a horrendous start this season with the White Sox, and never fully recovered. There’s no icing on this cake — Keuchel was terrible on the South Side, and the Cards would be taking a shot in the dark that he could regain his form.

Redbird Rants writer Andrew Heckroff laid out the reasoning for signing Keuchel in a recent article:

"“Keuchel is posting numbers that are easily career-worst, but a change of scenery would benefit him. Guaranteed Rate Field isn’t exactly a bona-ride pitcher’s ballpark like Busch Stadium III. In addition, Keuchel’s FIP is one run less than his ERA. It’s still a career worst, but there is some bad luck there.”"

Murray also mentions Keuchel on the podcast as a viable option. He also wouldn’t cost prospects, and could come on the cheap since he was DFA’d but the White Sox. It makes a surprising amount of sense.