The Cardinals are almost surely trading starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery before the deadline, and St. Louis might have a perfect partner.
The only questions about the St. Louis Cardinals' trade deadline plans are where the pieces they send away will end up and what the Red Birds will get back in return at the MLB Trade Deadline. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak has made it clear that the edict is to build to compete in 2024 and for the future, so that's the biggest key factor in any discussions and deals.
One of the surest trade assets to be on the move from the Cardinals before the deadline is veteran left-hander Jordan Montgomery, who the club traded Harrison Bader for last year. Montgomery, who leads all St. Louis starters in ERA and WHIP on the year, is in the final year of his contract and could fetch a nice return for any starter-needy contender.
And there just happens to be one contender who not only needs starting pitching, but has a bevy of prospects who could help the Cardinals' future: the Baltimore Orioles.
Jim Bowden of The Athletic (subscription required) recently proposed several big-name trades, one of which sent Mongtomery to the Orioles. And the prospects of that for St. Louis have to be enticing as they could get pieces from one of the best farm systems in baseball.
MLB Rumors: Cardinals have perfect Jordan Mongtomery trade with Orioles
Bowden reported that the Orioles, while highly motivated to trade for a starting pitcher, isn't looking to necessarily part with any of its top prospects such as Jackson Holliday, Colton Cowser, Jordan Westburg, Heston Kjerstad or several others.
Having said that, even if the Cardinals aren't getting a Top 100 prospect, which stands to reason in a trade for a rental starting pitcher, they could still get an arm such as left-hander Cade Povich, as suggested by Bowden, who could potentially contribute to the St. Louis rotation in 2024. Anything beyond that would be gravy for Mozeliak and the Cardinals.
This isn't to say that the Cards don't have any other option on the trade market — quite the contrary. It should be a robust market for Montgomery, a lefty with proven performance and a strong overall track record. Having said that, given the depth of the Orioles farm system, they might be able to return the most value from a team operating from a position of luxury in terms of the prospects they can afford to part with.