Yesterday’s acquisition of Max Scherzer clearly did not satiate the need of starting pitching for the Texas Rangers. Their all-in push rolls on, as ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported that the Rangers traded for St. Louis Cardinals LHP Jordan Montgomery, along with RHP Chris Stratton on Sunday. The move lands the AL West leaders another quality starter in an already-deep Rangers rotation.
BREAKING: The Texas Rangers are finalizing a trade to acquire left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery from the St. Louis Cardinals, sources tell ESPN.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 30, 2023
Jordan Montgomery
Montgomery’s 2023 first half made him one of the more desirable rental pitchers on the trade block. Over 21 starts, the 30-year-old has a 3.43 ERA with a 1.25 WHIP. More a pitch-to-contact type rather than a strikeout artist, Montgomery uses a four-pitch mix with a sinker and changeup to generate weak contact. Tallying 128 ground ball outs this season so far, his pitching style is similar to other ground-ball approach starters on the Texas roster, namely Martin Perez and Dane Dunning.
Chris Stratton
Right-handed reliever Chris Stratton was also brought in to shore up the bullpen. The five-year veteran is posting a 4.36 ERA in 53.2 innings in 2023. Stratton’s exceptional spin rates on his fastball and curveball make him a formidable strikeout threat, despite below-average velocity.
St. Louis Blues
It’s hard to picture a Jordan Montgomery trade on the Cardinals’ 2023 bingo sheet to start the year. Their promising season quickly crumbled due to a collapse of the pitching staff, and core offensive pieces sharply regressing. With Jordan Hicks dealt and Jack Flaherty likely next, the Redbirds have made it a point to rebuild their rotation for the future. In return for Montgomery and Staton come prospects RHP Tekoah Roby, LHP John King, and INF Thomas Saggese.
The Rangers Rotation Gets Better
The Rangers have built one of baseball’s premier rotations in a matter of two years. At the top sit a couple of the generation’s finest frontliners in Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Veteran FA signings Nathan Eovaldi and Jon Gray have had great success to begin their Rangers careers, and the awaited emergence of Dane Dunning has come in a big way. Lefties Martin Perez and Andrew Heaney are capable as well, though one may be moved to bullpen duties upon Montgomery’s arrival. Although DeGrom is on the shelf until 2025 (TJ Surgery), the group still has ample talent to help maintain their dwindling division lead from the surging Houston Astros.
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Photo Credit- Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Players Mentioned- Max Scherzer, Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton, Martin Perez, Dane Dunning, Jordan Hicks, Jack Flaherty, Tekoah Roby, John King, Thomas Saggese, Jacob deGrom, Nathan Eovaldi, Jon Gray, Andrew Heaney
