Yankees 'Badly' Wanted To Sign Ex-Cardinals Pitcher But Wasn't Close To Deal

It sounds like the Yankees wanted to sign the former Cardinals hurler

Aug 17, 2020; Bronx, New York, USA; A general view of rain falling on the New York Yankees logo on / Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

After a long offseason, one former member of the St. Louis Cardinals recently found his new home.

Former Cardinals pitcher Jordan Montgomery entered the offseason as one of the top available free agents. It was expected that Montgomery would land a large deal after helping lead the Texas Rangers to the 2023 World Series.

Montgomery has been extremely steady over the last few seasons, but things didn't work out for the big lefty. After plenty of speculation, the 31-year-old ultimately signed a one-year deal with the Arizona Diamondbacks with a possibility for a second season.

It was unclear where Montgomery would land for much of the offseason. He was linked to the Boston Red Sox on numerous occasions but he didn't end up there. There were rumblings that a reunion with the Cardinals could be on the horizon but St. Louis did not land him.

Another club that was mentioned in plenty of rumors was the New York Yankees. New York lost ace Gerrit Cole for at least one or two months and speculation started swirling that it could end up signing Montgomery. New York reportedly wanted to sign Montgomery "badly" but couldn't get a deal done, according to the New York Post's Jon Heyman.

"Word is Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner badly wanted to bring back free agent Jordan Montgomery, the last remaining available pitcher, to bolster their capable but questionable rotation heading into their opener Thursday against the (Houston Astros)," Heyman said. "And Yankees general manager Brian Cashman and Montgomery’s agent, Scott Boras, had each other on speed dial over the last several days.

"Ideas were exchanged. Arguments were made. Points were considered. But the sides never got traction, or even close to traction."

He was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2014 Major League Baseball June Amateur Draft and made his big league debut with the club in 2017. Montgomery spent the first five-plus seasons of his career with New York before being traded to St. Louis in 2022.

Arizona is a solid landing spot for Montgomery after making it to the World Series in 2023 but things didn't exactly work out as the big lefty likely expected this offseason.

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