Against the Yankees on Saturday, Jack Flaherty might've pitched his way into the Yankees' rotation.
And against the Yankees on Sunday, former New York pitcher Jordan Montgomery might've pitched his way onto another big-name contender.
Sorry to dampen some spirits after a fun little weekend, but we're getting to that point, folks. The trade deadline is Aug. 1. Even with Sunday's win and series win against the Yankees, the Cardinals (35-48) are 9 1/2 games out of first place. And so, as we look forward to what's next for this franchise in flux, the short answer is very simple — the Cardinals must contend for the 2024 World Series.
They should've, of course, contended for the 2023 World Series. There was, at least via keyboards and airwaves, pressure to do so, after going eight years with just one playoff series win.
But if anything, the Cardinals must contend for the Commissioner's Trophy in 2024 — and that starts this month, as they assess who should be traded by August (incidentally, remember the hashtag #12in12, following #11in11 and the 11th title in 2011? Now, we're getting close to #12in24).
Yes, I suppose this column deserves the caveat — if the 2023 Cardinals suddenly win, say, 17 July games in a row, the strategy changes. Otherwise, the Cardinals need to trade the free-agents-to-be Flaherty and Montgomery.
The Cardinals, however, should not have a fire sale. Players such as Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, Brendan Donovan, Nolan Gorman and, indubitably, Jordan Walker should be part of the 2024 club.
But the Cardinals should load up on talent during this rare reload.
And the better Flaherty and Montgomery pitch, the better the haul could be.
With the Yankees in town, a good barometer is the 2016 version of the Bronx Bombers. The Yankees, like the Cardinals, seldom sell at the trade deadline. But the 2016 club traded away pieces such as Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller and Carlos Beltran. In return, the Yankees got Gleyber Torres (a top prospect who became a two-time All-Star), Clint Frazier, Dillon Tate (later flipped for Zack Britton), and Justus Sheffield and Erik Swanson (a duo flipped for James Paxton, who went 15-6 for the Yankees in 2019). The Yankees made the American League Championship Series in 2017 — the year Aaron Judge blossomed — and made the playoffs every year since.
Yes, the Yankees, too, haven't been to the World Series in quite a while (2009). But the point is that they didn't blow up the 2016 team and instead used the trades to bolster future teams.
And as we head toward the 2023 trade deadline, the reality is — there aren't many big-name starters who could be available (unless, well, the Mets sell). This should help the Cardinals. Flaherty, for instance, has shown flashes of his past self, notably in his six innings of scoreless ball Saturday against the Yankees.
Overall, it's been a brutal year for Flaherty, especially when you look back at the spring training confluence of his good health, expectations and pitching in a contract year. Sure, in 11 of his starts this season, he's allowed three or fewer runs. The other five? He's allowed run totals of 10, six, six, four and four. Oh, he also leads the league with 46 walks.
But the Yankees saw the best of Flaherty on Saturday. He sure looked like a guy who could pitch on his birthday of Oct. 15.
As for Montgomery on Sunday, he outdueled his friend and former teammate Gerrit Cole. "Monty" pitched 5 2/3 innings of no-hit ball and got the win. After the game, Montgomery shared, Cole texted him an image of a cowboy tipping his hat.
Montgomery has been the most-consistent St. Louis starter. His ERA is down to 3.28. He's been a great Cardinal — and should be a great Cardinals trade piece.
Now, Jordan Hicks is also a free agent at season's end. He's electrically elite. Back in his rhythm as the closer, he could get the Cardinals a top prospect or a big-leaguer who's a redundancy on another team. And who knows, Hicks could end up like Chapman did for the 2017 season — re-signing with the team that traded him at the deadline.
Hicks induced the final three outs at Busch Stadium on Sunday. The crowd got loud, the sun cooperated, it was indeed a nice day. It was also a reminder of how many people pay good money to come to Cardinals games. And a reminder of how rare that moment actually was — the Cardinals are 17-25 at Busch this season. Only the A's, Royals and Nationals have fewer home wins.
Thus the biggest win for the 2023 Cardinals must come at the trade deadline. Get guys who can help the 2024 team and beyond.
