Why the St. Louis Cardinals should trade for Frankie Montas

The Cardinals need to trade for Frankie Montas

Until only a few days ago, many around the league believed that Frankie Montas was going to be sent to the Chicago White Sox, but reports say that the ‘ship has sailed’ on a potential deal between the two clubs. The Cardinals should see this and be brokering a deal with the A’s immediately.

In 2021, Montas threw 187 innings with an ERA of 3.37, K/9 of 10, and WHIP sitting at 1.18 while finishing 6th in the AL Cy Young Voting. The 29 year old still has one year of arbitration after this season and would give the Cardinals a high level starter for this year and 2023.

With how good the Cardinals offense should be this year, the club does not necessarily need break the bank for an elite level ace, but grabbing another front line starter to add to Wainwright and Flaherty would allow them to match up more favorably with teams like the Dodgers, Braves, and Mets come postseason time. While you can argue that Dakota Hudson or Miles Mikolas may be able to be the consistent third starter needed in a playoff series, the acquisition of Montas would take pressure off of them, and provide insurance in case of any more injuries to the rotation.

Not only would this move make a major difference for the club in a potential postseason series, but it would greatly benefit the bullpen as well. In 2021, the Cardinals had to over rely on guys like Genesis Cabrera, Alex Reyes, and Giovanni Gallegos to cover innings during the long season, and they took a major toll on their arms as the season went along. Adding another starter who can provide quality innings all year long will give the bullpen more rest that they need.