MLB Rumors: Blue Jays linked to Jordan Montgomery trade

The Toronto Blue Jays have climbed out of an early deficit in the AL East and are now one of the three wild card teams in the American League entering play on Thursday, July 27. But if they want to stay in that playoff spot and, more importantly, make a push in the postseason, upgrading the pitching could be crucial.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) provided one potential solution that would see the Blue Jays going after one of the top rental arms on the starting pitching market: Cardinals left-hander Jordan Montgomery.

As noted by Sarris, the current rotation in Toronto is extremely heavy on right-handed pitching as currently constructed, even if it's been a solid group overall. Southpaw Hyun Jin Ryu is slated to come back at some point down the stretch, but as he returns from undergoing Tommy John surgery, there are warranted questions about the quality of stuff he'll have upon his reinsertion into the rotation.

That could open up the door for a lefty like Montgomery to really change the calculus for the Blue Jays.

Even amid the Cardinals struggles overall in the 2023 season, Montgomery has remained a stellar piece, as he has been since St. Louis acquired him from the Yankees at last year's deadline. He leads all Cardinals starters with a 3.37 ERA and 1.23 WHIP on the season, which shows just how valuable he could be to a contender's pitching staff.

As we saw with the Angels dealing for Lucas Giolito, though, the cost for even rentals in this seller's market is extremely high. Would the Blue Jays be willing to pony up in order to get one of the best rentals available? That's the question that most pertinent, but the fit and how Montgomery would help in Toronto is undeniable.

MLB Rumors: Cardinals fear of repeating mistakes could stop Dylan Carlson trade

At this point, we're all just waiting on the dominoes to fall for the St. Louis Cardinals at the trade deadline.

It's been a foregone conclusion for weeks now that the club is going to sell with an emphasis, as laid down by John Mozeliak himself, to retool the roster to try and compete and contend again in the 2024 season. That almost surely means looking for young, controllable pitching in return for the assets they're going to sell.

And for the most part, we know the likely candidates that St. Louis is going to float in trades. Rental starting pitching options Jordan Montgomery and Jack Flaherty basically already have their bags packed at this point. It also stands to reason that the Cards are going to flip at least one or two of their glut of outfielders.

Having said that, another name that had been floated is 24-year-old outfielder Dylan Carlson. The switch-hitter could net a substantial return — but the Cardinals also might be reluctant to deal him. Sure, they could net a big-time return, but their past errors in trades could color their approach, as reported by Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (subscription required).

As Rosenthal noted, the Cardinals "would fear Carlson becoming the next Randy Arozarena, Adolis Garcia or Lane Thomas." Those are all top outfield bats in MLB that were once in the St. Louis system but were traded away — and let's also not forget that Sandy Alcantara and Zac Gallen were also in that same situation too.

But if you're the Cardinals, worrying about the past is only going to hinder the future. If the goal is to retool for next season at the trade deadline, previous errors can't dictate decision-making before Aug. 1. So even if the fears are there, it shouldn't prevent St. Louis for making a trade for Carlson if it's the right deal that fits their plan.

MLB Rumors: Rockies OF Charlie Blackmon a sleeper Braves trade target?

It's starting to look quite a bit more likely that the Atlanta Braves could, after reportedly briefly pivoting from this direction, pursue a lineup upgrade at the trade deadline. Ideally, they'd be looking for platoon help in left field to pair with Eddie Rosario, effectively removing Marcell Ozuna from that rotation in the outfield.

Red Sox outfielder and former Brave Adam Duvall has been a popular trade target in that regard, while the bevy of Cardinals outfielders to trade or even Rockies veterans Randall Grichuk and Jurickson Profar have also been considered in the mix. But perhaps there's another player in Colorado would could make sense according to one MLB analyst: Charlie Blackmon.

Eno Sarris of The Athletic (subscription required) suggested Blackmon as an under-the-radar target that could have a big impact on the Braves, likening it to the acquisitions of Joc Pederson and Jorge Soler en route to Atlanta's World Series run in 2021.

The 37-year-old Blackmon, who has been out with a hand injury since June 10, has been almost exclusively a DH option for the Rockies this season but has continued to be a productive hitter with a low strikeout rate.

If there's still some innings in the tank for Blackmon to play in left field, he could indeed be a great option for the Braves to pursue. His age likely means he's not part of the future rebuild for the Rockies, which could lower his price, while his veteran bat could be a great addition to supplement both Rosario and Ozuna in the lineup as an outfielder and DH.