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The New York Yankees are trading LHP Jordan Montgomery to the St. Louis Cardinals for RF Harrison Bader, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Lindsey Adler. The Bader news was first reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Cardinals acquiring LHP Jordan Montgomery from the Yankees, sources tell me and @LindseyAdler. Return not yet known.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) August 2, 2022
The Yankees had just added Frankie Montas on Monday and could look to get Miami Marlins RHP Pablo Lopez. The Cardinals add another solid depth rotation pitcher and a lefty to go with Jose Quintana, who was acquired from the Pittsburgh Pirates on Monday night.
The Cardinals give up Bader, who was a depth outfielder anyway with Dylan Carlson, Lars Nootbar and Corey Dickerson also on the roster. Bader is going to be out a few weeks due to a foot injury. This clears a spot for Nootbar to start in the OF with Tyler O’Neill and Carlson moving forward and when everyone is healthy.
Bader will be a platoon outfielder in center with Aaron Hicks, who should see fewer starts as a result. This also helps the Yankees keep Aaron Judge fresh and out of CF, where there’s a higher potential for injury covering more ground. Bader isn’t a plus-bat but also isn’t Joey Gallo at the bottom of the lineup.