MLB Rumors: Predicting the 4 new teams checking in on Blake Snell, Jordan Montgomery

It is March 6, which means MLB Opening Day is less than a month away. Rather than wrapping up the offseason and focusing all our energy on spring training, we are still waiting for two of baseball's top pitchers to sign. Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery are up for grabs, and now, the field could be expanding.

We generally know the New York Yankees have checked in with Snell on multiple occasions. He has also been mentioned in connection to the Los Angeles Angels and San Francisco Giants. The Giants are in the mix for Montgomery, too, as are the Angels. The Boston Red Sox are also strongly connected to Monty.

According to USA Today's Bob Nightengale, however, MLB superagent Scott Boras recently revealed that "four new teams" have reached out about his star clients since the start of free agency.

We shouldn't necessarily take Boras' words to the bank — his job is to drum up interest and drive up the price — but we aren't talking about nobodies here. Monty just won the World Series. Snell just won Cy Young. I'd imagine the interest league-wide is palpable, even if teams are scared to dish out long-term deals.

So, let's put our thinking caps on and try to decipher who these four mystery teams might be. We are, again, ruling out the Yankees, Angels, Red Sox, and Giants due to tangible lines of reporting. We can obviously scratch off the Texas Rangers and San Diego Padres, too. Neither ace seems all that likely to return to his old stomping grounds anyway.

Mystery team No. 4: St. Louis Cardinals

We know the St. Louis Cardinals are capable of spending money when the front office and ownership are motivated to do so. Last season's disastrous outcome was a setback, but the Cards signed Sonny Gray early in free agency — a clear statement. The plan is to improve in 2024.

Unfortunately, the cracks began to show when Gray suffered a mild hamstring strain in spring training. To put it plainly, St. Louis' depth chart behind Gray leaves a lot to be desired. If the veteran Cy Young candidate is forced to miss any time, the Cards will struggle to keep opposing offenses in check.

Therein lies the beauty of a potential reunion with Jordan Montgomery, who was in St. Louis just last season. The Cardinals traded him a few months ago, so feelings are still a bit raw, but money talks. Snell would obviously help, too. Pairing the NL Cy Young winner with the AL Cy Young runner-up is a strong formula for success.

It's not like the Cards are completely devoid of talent, but with questions about Paul Goldschmidt's future creeping into the equation, it's now or never. St. Louis needs to pick a direction. Signing either of Boras' major clients would certainly represent a commitment to competing in the winnable NL Central.