The St. Louis Cardinals could still use another starting pitcher, and an old friend should be in consideration.
As of right now, the Cardinals’ seemingly guaranteed starters are Michael McGreevy and Matthew Liberatore. Richard Fitts was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in the Sonny Gray trade and certainly has a chance at a rotation spot. It has been reported that Kyle Leahy will enter camp as a starter looking to earn a job in the rotation. Andre Pallante was in the rotation throughout the 2025 season and will have a shot as well, although the 2025 season wasn’t great for him.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Quinn Matthews is one of the team’s top prospects and should be in consideration as well. Regardless, all of these options are young. You need some sort of veteran presence as well. That’s why the Cardinals should still be looking to the open market and specifically should consider former St. Louis starter Jordan Montgomery.
The Cardinals should sign Jordan Montgomery
Sep 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) in the dugout after being pulled in the fifth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
The lefty came over to St. Louis in 2022 in a trade with the New York Yankees. He was great for the organization. He had a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts in 2022 and followed up with a 3.42 ERA in 21 starts in 2023 before being traded to the Texas Rangers. He won the World Series with Texas, but has had a rocky few years since.
He signed late before the 2024 season and had a 6.23 ERA with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 25 appearances. Then, he missed the entire 2025 season. That didn’t stop Arizona from trading him to the Milwaukee Brewers during the season and now he’s a free agent.
Montgomery is the type of pitcher the Cardinals should be rolling the dice on. He’s just 32 years old and has familiarity with the organization. After missing the 2025 season and having a bad 2024 campaign, he shouldn’t be expensive at all. A one-year prove-it deal with a potential second-year option should arguably be the type of deal he gets this offseason.
From 2021 through 2023, Montgomery had a 3.48 ERA in 94 starts and now has a World Series ring under his belt. Pair him with the Cardinals’ young rotation and you could be onto something.
More MLB: Cardinals Lose Prospect To Yankees After Voided Deal