The Cardinals need to stop messing around and sign Jordan Montgomery

Jordan Montgomery's market may finally start to take shape if he remains a free agent for much longer.

Despite being a Scott Boras client, Montgomery may have to settle for a cheaper and shorter-term deal.

This presents a perfect opportunity for the Cardinals. Montgomery was traded last year at the deadline and helped the Rangers win their first World Series title. He proved himself as a big-game pitcher and someone you can trust in the postseason.

If the Cardinals were to add him in addition to Sonny Gray, they could have a truly scary starting rotation and create flexibility with the rest of their pitching staff.

But as things stand today, the Cardinals have their rotation set and don't appear to be making any progress with Montgomery. But it's time that changed.

The Cardinals need to re-sign Montgomery

The Rangers were long thought the favorite to sign Montgomery, but they've backed off in recent weeks, and it looks like he's going to be too expensive for them. The Red Sox are another option, but they don't seem terribly interested in increasing their payroll too much.

That is what's frustrating about the whole situation. The opportunity to sign Montgomery, drop the hammer on the rest of the NL Central, and become a true World Series contender, is right there.

Montgomery's price should drop and he should ultimately end up with a shorter-term deal this winter. He's just sitting on the free-agent market, and the Cardinals haven't budged.

This is what got the Cardinals in trouble last year. They had enough starters to fill the rotation, but enough to have an insurance policy in case injuries took place. They're in better shape than they were last year, but if somebody gets hurt in spring training, they can't just keep going with internal options.

They need somebody proven to help carry the load. Montgomery will give you innings and keep you in games.

As the old saying goes, you can never have too much pitching, but the Cardinals seem content with what they have when they really shouldn't be.

It's much better than it was last season, but is that truly enough to compete for a World Series title? I think we all know the answer to that. It's not enough.

The Cardinals need to stop striving for the bare minimum and go above and beyond for a change. Just getting to the playoffs isn't enough. It's time for bold action, and the next step should be signing Montgomery.