Jordan Montgomery, Chris Stratton Traded to Rangers; Cardinals Get Prospects

After weeks of speculation, Jordan Montgomery is finally on the move.

The Texas Rangers acquired Montgomery in a five-player deal on Sunday:

• Rangers get: LHP Jordan Montgomery and RHP Chris Stratton
• Cardinals get: INF Thomas Saggese, RHP Tekoah Roby and LHP John King.

ESPN's Jeff Passan first reported the deal.

St. Louis entered the Aug. 1 trade deadline as clear sellers amid a disappointing season that has seen the club drop to last in the National League Central with a 46-60 record. The Cards are 11.5 games back of the first-place Milwaukee Brewers and 11 games back of a wild card spot.

They already started selling before the Montgomery deal went public by trading star reliever Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays. However, the Cardinals are getting an impressive haul of prospects in return as they look toward the future, per Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Montgomery, who is in the final year of his contract and will become a free agent at the end of the season, has long been speculated as a trade candidate. ESPN's Jesse Rogers also reported on July 24 that the veteran was considered "as good as gone."

The 30-year-old had spent the last season and a half in St. Louis after beginning his career with the New York Yankees, pitching for the Pinstripes from 2017 until he was traded to the Cards during the 2022 campaign.

Montgomery is in the midst of a solid season and should be a great asset for the Rangers. He is 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 108 strikeouts in 121 innings across 21 starts.

Texas is clearly all-in on this season after previously acquiring starting pitcher Max Scherzer from the New York Mets. Presumably, the Rangers will now roll into the playoffs with a stout four-man rotation of All-Star Nathan Eovaldi, Scherzer, Jon Gray and now Montgomery. With the team already sporting one of MLB's top offenses, the Rangers have further solidified themselves as a legitimate World Series threat in the last two days.