Why the St. Louis Cardinals Won the Harrison Bader Trade

The St. Louis Cardinals made a surprising move, trading Harrison Bader for starter Jordan Montgomery. This deal was a win for the Redbirds.

The St. Louis Cardinals were active at the MLB trade deadline, acquiring multiple arms to bolster their rotation, bullpen, and pitching depth as a whole. Although the club missed out on Juan Soto, they are clearly a better team today then they were yesterday, and St. Louis should be the clear favorites for the NL Central title.

After adding Jose Quintana, Chris Stratton, and JoJo Romero, the Cardinals appeared to be done making moves, until at the very last moment, they club brough in left handed starter Jordan Montgomery from the New York Yankees for Gold Glove centerfielder Harrison Bader.

Most of Cardinals Nation was glad to add another arm, but dumbfounded that it cost them Bader. The centerfielder was a fan favorite among many in St. Louis, and has proven to be a valuable piece to their team due to his elite defense, base running, and energy that he brought to the clubhouse.

Beyond the initial shock of the trade and and any emotional connections that fans may have with the 28-year old, it has been a reality for awhile that Bader’s time with St. Louis was nearing its end, whether at this trade deadline or after the 2023 season.

I actually suggested a Bader deal with the New York Yankees for MLB-ready pitching two weeks ago, and the Cardinals saw a similar opening. The combination of the teams surplus of outfield talent, and their need for starting pitching, and Bader’s impending free agency all made the Gold Glover expendable.

Here is why St. Louis should feel like winners in the Harrison Bader trade.

The Cardinals have a surplus of outfielders

Our very own Ben Remis covered this last week, but the Cardinals have an incredible amount of outfield depth at the moment. On the roster alone, St. Louis has Dylan Carlson, Tyler O’Neill, Lars Nootbaar, Brendan Donovan, Corey Dickerson, Juan Yepez, and Tommy Edman who can all play in the outfield for the club.

In the pipeline, names like Alec Burleson, Jordan Walker, Moises Gomez, Connor Capel, and so many others could be making an impact in the outfield for St. Louis this season or in next few years. For a club that had holes at other positions, it was necessary to cash in some of that outfield depth while they could.

Walker has already been moved to the outfield in the aftermath of the Bader trade, and it is clear that the Cardinals now see him as the future right fielder for the club long term. With his arrival to St. Louis being no later than next season, the amount of rosters spots for outfielders is pretty thin, and it made sense why the club would move on.

Carlson has shown little to no drop off from Bader’s defense while filling in during his injury, and projected to be a stud centerfielder for the club for years to come.

St. Louis needed what Jordan Montgomery can provide more than Bader

This narrative is known by everyone in baseball: the St. Louis Cardinals desperately needed starting pitching.

The club’s defense and baserunning is elite, and while Bader played a major role in that, they have plenty of that from other players as well. Bader was no slouch at the plate, but he was not a true difference maker, which would have easily kept him in St. Louis past this deadline if he was.

Bader is likely out until September with his foot injury, meaning St. Louis could at best hope for a few weeks of production at best the rest of this season.

Montgomery, in the ultra competitive AL East, had an ERA of 3.69 in 114.2 innings of work for the Yankees this season, and provides an immediate upgrade over the club’s patchwork rotation. Montgomery is also under team control for 2023, meaning St. Louis now has another affordable option next season.

Montgomery and fellow newcomer Quintana now give the Cardinals a five man rotation, even without Jack Flaherty and Steven Matz, that can compete each and every game. Guys being used in the rotation and move back to the bullpen, strengthening that in the process.

St. Louis has struggled to live up to expectations the last two seasons due to their lack of pitching depth. If one or two guys goes down, the club goes into a tailspin. Now the Cardinals have at least seven experienced major league starters to choose from, and multiple different young arms to trout out as needed.