Answering Five Questions About the Yankees' Decision to Trade Jordan Montgomery
NEW YORK — The Yankees made the majority of their moves in the days leading up to Tuesday's trade deadline.
New York acquired starter Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino in a blockbuster with the Athletics on Monday. Hours earlier, the Yankees added sidearm reliever Scott Effross from the Cubs. A few days prior, the Yankees grabbed outfielder Andrew Benintendi from the Royals.
The transaction that had most fans and pundits scratching their heads, however, came in the minutes leading up to Tuesday's deadline. Even the player involved in the trade was shocked to learn his time with the Yankees had abruptly come to a close.
Starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery was dealt to the St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday evening, a deadline buzzer beater that sent outfielder Harrison Bader back to the Bronx.
If you think this trade is puzzling, you're not alone. It's a move that seems perplexing on the surface and gets more complicated as you dive deeper into the details.
To help make sense of this trade, sending a reliable starter to St. Louis while adding an injured outfielder, let's run through a handful of questions that have popped up as a result of this deal, breaking down what this all means for New York.
Why Trade Jordan Montgomery Away?
Montgomery isn't flashy, but he's been incredibly consistent in a Yankees uniform. He showed his potential during his impressive rookie season back in 2017, battled back from elbow surgery the next year before blossoming in the middle of New York's rotation. After the way the left-hander pitched last season, it looked like Montgomery was poised to take a significant step forward in 2022, possibly distinguishing himself as a No. 2 starter in this rotation.
Nestor Cortes ended up as the southpaw with a breakout year, but still, Montgomery gave his club a chance to win practically every time he took the ball, toeing the slab without fail every five days. That durability and reliability are part of the reason why New York's pitching staff had such a productive first half of the season.
So, why take that away? He had a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts. It's not like Montgomery was bringing this team down. That's more so in line with Joey Gallo and why he was shipped to Los Angeles on Tuesday. Montgomery isn't a toxic presence in the clubhouse either. Far from it. Every player that spoke on Tuesday made it clear that Montgomery was respected, a leader and close friend to many behind the scenes.
One way to justify the trade is that Montgomery wouldn't have necessarily factored in to New York's postseason rotation. With a massive cushion in the division, it makes sense to start thinking ahead to October. Having Gerrit Cole, Montas, Cortes and potentially a healthy Luis Severino (who is sidelined until midway through September with a lat strain), the Yankees don't necessarily need Montgomery in the playoffs.
This time of year, teams across the league make these kinds of trades, a reminder that baseball is a business. The Yankees weren't thrilled to see Montgomery go, but in theory, the return New York got back for the left-hander will be more impactful for this team in October.
What Happens Now in the Starting Rotation?
For a second leading up to the deadline, it looked like the Yankees were going to make another move, replacing Montgomery by adding a different starter. General manager Brian Cashman even hinted at the fact that he and his team were negotiating with different clubs about starting pitchers until the clock struck 6 p.m. ET and the deadline had passed.
No other trades were made, though. So with nobody else coming in, Cashman made it clear that in the short term, beyond the addition of Montas, nothing changes.
"I think our rotation is set as it is," Cashman said on Tuesday looking back at the deadline. "Montas is the new addition."
In other words, once Montas joins the club in the next few days, he'll replace Montgomery in the five-man staff. Yes, that means Domingo Germán will continue pitching in the rotation. At least for now.
Having Germán in the starting staff is far from glamorous, but if we're judging purely from his last two starts (ignoring his season debut against the mighty Astros coming out of the All-Star break), he's actually pitched relatively well. The right-hander has a 3.72 ERA over 9.2 frames. He earned his first win of the year on Monday against Seattle.
Obviously that's a very small sample size. Overall, Germán has a 4.60 ERA in his career with the Yankees. Again, barring a tidal wave of adversity, it's not like Germán is going to be competing for a spot in this club's rotation come the playoffs either. He's a fine option to eat up some innings going forward.
That said, there is an alternative...
What About Clarke Schmidt?
Clarke Schmidt was just sent down to Triple-A after New York added their deadline acquisitions to the active roster on Monday.
The former pitching prospect has been used out of the bullpen this season out of necessity. For someone that's being developed as a starter, Schmidt has done a tremendous job in a new role, recording saves, pitching in high-leverage spots and often lasting multiple innings at a time.
The plan is still for Schmidt to grow as a starting pitcher. That seems to be the case whether you ask Schmidt, ask Boone, ask Cashman or anyone in between. Once he builds up in his pitch count with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, don't be surprised if he gets the call to have an extended opportunity starting games in pinstripes for the first time.
This wouldn't be a promotion to fill in before getting strapped back onto the Scranton Shuttle. Finally, there's an open spot in the rotation. Think of it as an audition and more experience for next season where Schmidt could slot in where Montgomery was, truly taking the next step in his evolution from prospect all the way to big-league starter.
And the Yankees Are Comfortable With This Rotation Going Forward?
Based on what we've heard from Boone and Cashman, the answer is yes.
Frankly, New York's starting staff was dominant across the first few months of the regular season. Since then, not so much, but the potential is there and Montas provides a huge boost.
Now, beyond Montgomery's spot, the focus transitions back to those who have been in the rotation all along. Can Taillon turn things around as he continues to struggle at finding consistency? Will Cortes run out of gas down the stretch after eclipsing his career-high in innings. Does Cole have what it takes to put the team on his back when they need it most and shove in the playoffs? And can Montas put it together in pinstripes?
Those are a lot of question marks, but as Boone likes to say, the talent is absolutely there on paper. With an improved bullpen, this pitching staff simply has to go out there and pitch the rest of the way. We won't be able to truly evaluate the decision to part ways with Montgomery until the end of the year. By then we'll know if his absence ended up hurting this club.
Why Harrison Bader?
Enough about the pitchers.
Does Bader make the Yankees better?
The 28-year-old outfielder is an elite defender in center field. We're talking one of the best defensive outfielders in the sport, both from the eye test and his advanced metrics. Bader is among the league-leaders in sprint speed as well, a threat to steal a base at all times.
Bader won't be able to take the field in pinstripes just yet, though. The ex-Cardinal is on the injured list at the moment with plantar fasciitis in his right foot. Cashman assured that New York did a "deep dive" in Bader's medicals, explaining that there is "optimism" the outfielder will be ready to return in September.
As we alluded to earlier, the return in this Montgomery trade can be impactful in the postseason. Bader might not hit the ball hard, but he's a demon on the base paths and covers as much ground in center field as any other outfielder in the game.
Cashman added that Boone will have the discretion in how he wants to use Bader once he comes back healthy, whether it's as a starter or off the bench. Bader has experience playing in important games over the years with the Cardinals and he's a spark that not too many teams have.
Besides, as much as the focus is on his defensive track record and his speed, his offensive production (beyond some metrics) isn't that bad. Bader is hitting .263/.316/.424 since the beginning of the 2021 season, hitting 21 home runs, driving in 71 runs and stealing 24 bases in 175 games.
Oh, and the Bronxville native has one more year of control after this season, too. He could jump in front of Aaron Hicks as this club's starting center fielder next year.
MORE:
- Jordan Montgomery Was 'Shocked' to Hear He Got Traded By Yankees: 'This Is My Family'
- Aaron Boone Explains Why Joey Gallo Didn't Work Out in New York
- Yankees Gain Plenty of Control in Deals for Montas, Relievers
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