The Cardinals are acquiring lefty Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees, tweet Ken Rosenthal and Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Montgomery will be traded for Harrison Bader, reports Jack Curry of the YES Network. The trade, which has been officially announced by both teams, also includes a player to be named later or cash considerations going to the Yankees, conditional on Bader’s playing time as it pertains to the plantar fasciitis that sidelines him at present.
In 21 starts this season (114 2/3 IP), Montgomery has a 3.69 ERA, 45.3 groundball rate, 20.7 k rate, 4.9 walk rate.
The 6-6, 228-pound South Carolina native is ranked 9th in the American League with a 1.09 WHIP, walking just 1.8 batters per 9 IP, ranking 7th in the AL. Montgomery has one more arbitration year next season. Bader, meanwhile, is a free agent after the season.
Bader, 28, is a native of Bronxville, New York, about 11 miles away from Yankee Stadium. He’s served as the Cardinals’ primary center fielder since 2018, when he finished sixth in the NL Rookie of the Year voting. Known for his defense, Bader picked up his first Gold Glove last year and finished second in the Fielding Bible awards voting. Bader’s wRC+ sits at 93 this year, but he was at 111 over 526 plate appearances from 2020-21.
Bader, one of the speedier center fielders in the game, was limited to 103 games in 2021 due to a forearm strain and a rib fracture.
Bader has been in a walking boot and is expected to miss several more weeks due to his plantar fasciitis. In 246 at-bats this year, the 28-year old outfielder has hit .256, with five home runs at 21 RBI’s. Prior to his injury, he also was one of the top base-stealers in Major League Baseball, with 15.