9 former Cardinals that could win their first World Series in 2023

Texas Rangers Jordan Montgomery

The deadline acquisition from St. Louis has been a big piece to the Rangers' revitalized rotation here in the postseason. He is pitching his best at the perfect time, as he is heading to free agency for the first time in his career with a huge payday in his sights.

Montgomery pitched well enough with the Cardinals this year to attract contending teams that needed a starting pitcher during the stretch run. It's funny how times have changed, the Yankees traded Montgomery to the Cardinals at the trade deadline last season because the Yankees didn't see a spot for him on their postseason rotation, but he would've been in the Cardinal rotation if they got past the Phillies in the Wild Card round, and he started the first game in the Wild Card round against Tampa this year and he pitched a gem.

He was also the winning pitcher in relief in Game 7 of the ALCS against the Astros, he has only allowed 6 earned runs in 25 innings this postseason which is surely increasing his value on the free agent market. For " Monty " it may have been getting out of pitching at Yankee Stadium that has contributed to his success, as his ERA has gone down in every season since 2019, and his number of innings has gone up. He is showing that he is capable of going deep in ball games, and pitching in big situations, it will be interesting this winter to see how many suitors he will have in free agency, including the Cardinals.