STL Cardinals Rumors: Logan Gilbert roadblock, AL East trade links, Dylan Carlson

MLB Rumors: Yankees in on Jack Flaherty, Blue Jays for Jordan Montgomery?

In a recent article outlining trade fits, Jim Bowden of The Athletic linked Jack Flaherty and Dylan Carlson to the New York Yankees. The Yankees, it should be noted, were just swept by the Los Angeles Angels on Wednesday night. It remains to be seen if they’ll even buy at the trade deadline.

Per Ken Rosenthal, the Yankees could look to cut payroll at the deadline — while still hoping to acquire assets, ha! — in hopes of getting under the final tier of the luxury tax threshold.

"“Yankees fans might be disgusted by any attempt to cut payroll when the team just entered a jersey patch partnership with Starr Insurance reportedly worth at least $25 million a year. But as disappointing as the Yankees have been, as close as they are to getting under the highest threshold, an all-in approach appears unlikely. Instead, the team might try to buy and sell, exploring deals to improve the roster, but at a potentially lower cost.”"

As silly as this may sound given the Starr Insurance patches the Yankees agreed to sport on their jerseys next season, spending unnecessarily will only limit the front office in the long run.

Along with the Yankees, Bowden also linked Jordan Montgomery to the Baltimore Orioles — a fit he’s not the first to suggest. The Orioles have been floated as a destination for Shohei Ohtani, but adding a piece like Montgomery or even Marcus Stroman seems far more likely. Baltimore has sacrificed a lot to build up this team from the depths. They aren’t about to part with the majority of their minor-league assets for half a season of Ohtani.

Montgomery has a 3.12 ERA after his most recent start. His price is only going up, so St. Louis would be wise to hold onto him until the deadline and let him accrue value with every successful outing.