MLB Rumors: Cardinals trade interest, Red Sox surprise move, Astros target

MLB Rumors: Where will the Cardinals trade Jordan Montgomery?

The St. Louis Cardinals are likely to sell at the trade deadline, but rather cautiously. Nolan Arenado and Paul Goldschmidt are off-limits. Players like Jordan Montgomery, who is in the final season of his contract, make more sense to trade away.

Montgomery is having a decent season by his standards, pitching to a 3.23 ERA in 18 starts. He’s been arguably the Cardinals best pitcher this year, though that’s not saying much in a rotation which has routinely struggled to live up to expectations.

If St. Louis were to trade Montgomery, they would be right to demand some prospect capital in return. Per most experts, the pitching market is expected to be relatively weak this July. Montgomery could be one of the best players available at his position. Per Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat, the Phillies and Blue Jays are two teams already interested in Montgomery.

Toronto is in better standing in the American League to make such a trade, and if Alek Manoah can return to form, the Blue Jays could essentially gain two pitchers in a few short weeks. Manoah, the team’s former ace, has looked anything but his usual self so far this year. Yet, a promising start against the Detroit Tigers prior to the All-Star Break could help change the narrative. Adding Montgomery, who is familiar with the AL East from his time with the Yankees, would be a smart move by Ross Atkins.

As for Dave Dombrowski’s Phillies, they are seven games over .500, but sit 12 games out of the NL East race. The Wild Card is their best chance at making the postseason, and adding Montgomery to a rotation which already features Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler could create a devastating trio.