Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals finalize trade involving five players

There was speculation surrounding the trade for a number of weeks, and now the deal is finally done. The move came less than 24 hours after the Rangers acquired another veteran starter, right-hander Max Scherzer from the New York Mets. 

Scherzer is currently 39 years old, but is a three-time Cy Young Award winner and has been named an All-Star eight times during his prolific career. Texas also placed ace Nathan Eovaldi on the injured list on Sunday afternoon. He’s been dealing with a forearm strain.

In the 2023 season, Montgomery has posted a 6-9 overall record for the St. Louis Cardinals, with a 3.42 ERA and 108 strikeouts. This was his second year with the Cardinals franchise. Previously, he spent from 2017-2022 with the New York Yankees, the club that originally drafted him. The most strikeouts he’s thrown in a single-season came in 2021, when he fired 162 with the Yankees.

In the 2014 MLB Draft, Montgomery was selected by the Yankees in the fourth round with the No. 122 overall selection. This marks the second consecutive deadline at which he was traded. Last year, he was dealt from the Yankees to the Cardinals in exchange for center fielder Harrison Bader.

Montgomery played his college baseball for the South Carolina Gamecocks, where he earned freshman All-American honors during the 2012 campaign. During his three-year career there, he threw total 212 strikeouts from 2012 to 2014. In 2014, he made 16 starts for the Gamecocks, finishing with an 8-5 overall record and a 3.42 ERA in 100 innings of work.

The Rangers also acquired Chris Stratton in the deal. This season for the Cardinals, the right-handed reliever has fired 59 strikeouts, while posting a 4.36 ERA.

The Texas Rangers currently boast a 60-45 overall record in the 2023 season so far. They sit 1.5 games ahead of the Houston Astros in the AL West standings, despite dropping their last two games. On Sunday evening, they’re facing off against the San Diego Padres, who currently sit at 51-54 overall.