The Rangers, who have made some big moves in free agency over the past two years, including shortstop Corey Seager (10 years, $325 million), second baseman Marcus Semien (seven years, $175 million), and starting pitcher Jacob deGrom (five years, $185 million), have emerged as “big players” in the trade market. They added another starter in left-hander Jordan Montgomery, 31, to join three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer, 39.
According to local reports, including MLB.com, Texas will receive left-handed starter Montgomery and right-handed reliever Chris Stranton (33) from the St. Louis Cardinals.
In return, Texas gives St. Louis right-handed pitcher Tekoa Robbie (22), infielder Thomas Suzeth (21), and left-handed pitcher John King (29). Roby and Seager are the 11th and 14th ranked Texas prospects in the MLB.com Pipeline.
The centerpiece of the trade is Montgomery, who was acquired for two prospects. Montgomery, who debuted with the New York Yankees in 2017 and was traded to St. Louis last August, is 34-32 with a 3.77 ERA and 647 strikeouts in 130 games (687⅓ innings) over seven seasons.
This season, he is 6-9 with a 3.42 ERA and 108 strikeouts in 21 games (121 innings). He has more losses than wins, but his pitching hasn’t been bad for a St. Louis team that hasn’t gotten any help from its offense, which has fallen to last place in the National League Central.
Montgomery, who is a free agent after this season, is on the market as the Cardinals go “seller” at the trade deadline. Texas, which sits at 60-45 and in first place in the American League (AL) West, immediately went after Montgomery to bolster its rotation.
Texas acquired pitcher Scherzer from the New York Mets the day before, sending shortstop prospect Luis Angel Acuña, 21, in the deal. While the Mets are responsible for about $35 million of Scherzer’s salary through next year, they showed their intent to challenge for a championship by acquiring a hard-throwing pitcher who could fall off at any time.
Texas, which was founded in 1961, is one of only six franchises in the majors without a World Series title. The San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers (since 1969), Seattle Mariners (1977), Colorado Rockies (1993), and Tampa Bay Rays (1998) have also failed to win, but Texas is the oldest of the bunch.카지노
Texas, which hired three-time World Series manager Bruce Bochy this offseason, has been atop the division since April, led by a potent offense that ranks first in team batting average (.272) and second in OPS (.800).
After free-agent acquisition DeGrom went down with Tommy John surgery after six games, Texas turned to fellow free-agent acquisition Nathan Eovaldi as its ace, but he was placed on the disabled list with right forearm soreness after a start against the Tampa Bay Rays on April 19. With gaping holes in the starting rotation, the addition of Scherzer and Montgomery signaled a strong commitment to challenging for the big leagues.