At the trade deadline in 2022, the St. Louis Cardinals made some key moves to strengthen their starting rotation, adding veterans Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana.
Both proved to be solid pickups, with Quintana ultimately drawing the start in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Montgomery pitching a few solid innings out of the bullpen in Game 2.
But there was another starter that the team had eyes on.
Frankie Montas was that starter.
He was ultimately acquired by the New York Yankees before the Cardinals added Montgomery.
However, Montas has struggled with his health recently, meaning the Cardinals were smart to not make a move for him.
The St. Louis Cardinals avoided a major catastrophe by not making this trade (via @joshjacoMLB) #STLCards https://t.co/EyBBro6Biv
— Joshua Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) February 5, 2023
The 29-year-old finished the 2022 season with a 5-12 record and an ERA of 4.05 in 27 starts.
Now, the veteran right-hander may miss the entire 2023 season due to a shoulder injury.
Meanwhile, Quintana went 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts with the Cardinals, while Montgomery went 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts with his new team.
Montgomery is also a potential candidate for a contract extension, which could help ease the burden on the Cardinals, who currently only have one starter under contract for 2024.
The Yankees, despite having signed Carlos Rodon to go along with Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole, find themselves in a difficult spot with Montas.
They now have an open spot in their starting rotation that will need to be addressed at some point during the season, if it is not addressed soon.
Ultimately, the Cardinals dodged a bullet by not going after Montas, which made a key difference down the stretch in 2022.
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