The Yankees drafted Frankie Montas, a veteran pitcher, to strengthen their rotation. They did so just days before the deadline.
On Tuesday, the Yankees traded lefty Jordan Montgomery to Cardinals in exchange for outfielder Harrison Bader, a player to name later or cash considerations.
Bader is currently in the injured list and has plantar fasciitis. General manager Brian Cashman stated that Bader’s Yankees debut could be delayed until September. Bader will be available when the Yankees have a strong defensive center fielder. He is also a speed threat and is under contract through next year.
Montgomery, the homegrown pitcher, was hurt by the deal. Montgomery was visibly emotional about the situation and still in shock just an hour after the trade took place.
“I didn’t acquire Montas so I could move Monty,” Cashman said after the deadline had passed. “Me and my staff entered the trade acquisition market of exports and imports trying to figure out the overall ecosystem of that roster and what fits best with a plan for October and how could we best be flying high at the best of our abilities when it counts the most in October and what gives us the most amount of quality choices? That’s what went into every single decision we made.
“So we’re excited about what Bader can bring down the line for us. We will have to wait for it, but we get it. But it came at the expense of a quality choice we already had.”
The trade capped off a busy few days for Cashman — who filled holes in left field (Andrew Benintendi), the rotation (Montas) and the bullpen (Scott Effross and Lou Trivino) while also trading Joey Gallo to the Dodgers.
“The biggest part of it is just kind of that sadness of seeing a guy [leave] that you love and that you’ve been through a lot with and that’s done a lot for this team and organization,” manager Aaron Boone said after an 8-6 loss to the Mariners. “Coming out of nowhere today where that happens, it’s hard delivering that news and saying goodbye.”
Cashman said that the Yankees were still open to the possibility of adding another starter to their lineup, even after Montas was acquired by the Athletics on Monday. The Post’s Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman reportedAlthough Pablo Lopez was in the Yankees’ sights, a deal never materialized.
Instead, the Yankees will continue to use a rotation of Gerrit Col, Montas and Jameson Taillon, Nestor Kortes, and Domingo German. They hope that a healthy Luis Severino will join them in mid September, when he is eligible for the 60-day IL. They also have Clarke Schmidt at Triple-A as an option, but they have lost a lot of their starting depth in trades in the last few days.
“I’m confident [in the rotation],” Cashman said. “My job is always to worry, but I believe in the guys we have.”
Montgomery, who was drafted into the organization in 2014, appeared to be disappointed not to be part this rotation moving forward.
“This is my family. This is all I know,” said Montgomery, who had a 3.69 ERA through 21 starts this season. “I still don’t really think I ever performed the way I should have here. I’m a lot better player than I’ve ever shown to the fans. But I think I was consistent, and I gave the team a chance to win.”
Montgomery could be facing the Yankees this weekend in St. Louis. He would be available to pitch against them.
But they’ll have to wait on Bader, whom Cashman called “one of the elite center field defenders in the game.” His presence will allow the Yankees to play Aaron Judge more consistently in right field. Bader, a Bronxville resident who won a Gold Glove award in 2021, was at.256/.303/.370 and had 15 steals in 72 games.
Cashman did not get the Yankees’ best record, as they entered Tuesday with the worst record in baseball.
“Ultimately our record through Aug. 2 won’t guarantee us anything in October,” Cashman said. “It’s the accumulation of talent, keeping it healthy and playing to maximum ability. Just because we played exceptional baseball thru Aug. 1 … doesn’t mean we get to kick back and assume it continues that way.”
Read the full article here
