Cards trade for lefty Montgomery: 'He'll fit in great'

ST. LOUIS -- Looking to add more depth and talent to their starting staff, the Cardinals traded injured center fielder Harrison Bader to the Yankees for 6-foot-6 left-hander Jordan Montgomery just before Tuesday’s Trade Deadline.

Montgomery is 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA this season in 21 starts. In 114 2/3 innings pitched, he’s allowed 103 hits and 15 home runs. He’s struck out 97 batters and has walked 23.

The 29-year-old was hard on himself in his assessment of how he pitched as a Yankee, saying: “I still don’t think I really performed the way I should’ve here. I’m a lot better player than I showed the fans. But I was consistent, I gave the team the chance to win and I worked my hardest."

Montgomery, who said he was shocked when told Tuesday that he had been traded to the Cardinals, has one more season of team control before he can become a free agent. Asked by reporters in New York to describe what kind of the pitcher the Cardinals would be getting, Montgomery responded with this assessment: “Loves baseball, works hard, a good teammate and will die on the mound.”

Bader, a Gold Glove center fielder in 2021, has been out since June 27 with a case of plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He tried to make a rehab start with Triple-A Memphis on July 22, but the pain returned in his foot, and he was put back in a protective walking cast.

“First off, [Montgomery] is a really good guy, and from that standpoint, I think he’ll fit in great in our clubhouse,” Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said. “Speaking [of] him, I would imagine he would be a bit stunned that he was being traded -- just as Harrison was. For us, it’s about [getting] a guy who can move the ball, spin the ball and get ground balls. We feel like both [José] Quintana and [Montgomery] fit perfectly with what we’re trying to accomplish.”

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Bader, a New York native, hit .256 with five home runs and 21 RBIs this season. Despite the persistent foot pain all season, Bader equaled his career high in stolen bases (15) in just 72 games.

“When [Yankees manager Aaron Boone] told me, he didn’t even know who the trade was for,” Montgomery said. “I’m trying not to read too much into it.”

The Yankees face the Cardinals in St. Louis over a three-game series this coming weekend. Montgomery admitted that it will be awkward for him to face many players he has teamed with since his time in the Minor Leagues, including MLB home run leader Aaron Judge.

“It’s going to be weird because these are my guys,” Montgomery said, referring to the Yankees. “But whatever [the Cardinals] need me to do, I’ll do it. So, it’s just weird timing, of course.”