The New York Yankees are searching for more starting pitching talent, and that is evidenced by their levels of interest in Yoshinobu Yamamoto and a familiar face, Jordan Montgomery, per the New York Post.
Ideally, the Yankees would walk away with Yamamoto, adding a 25-year-old durable talent to the mix, who is coming off another stellar season in a JPPL. He has the pitch mix to be a phenomenal MLB talent and develop into an ace. However, Cashman is doing his due diligence across the board, and there’s legitimate interest and reuniting with Montgomery.
The Yankees Are Interested in Jordan Montgomery
The 30-year-old lefty is coming off a World Series win, which is ironic given the fact that Cashman previously didn’t see him as a postseason contributor. He recorded a 2.90 ERA with the Texas Rangers across 31 postseason innings this year, including an 82% left-on-base rate and 43.2% ground ball rate.
During the regular season, Montgomery featured with both the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas, recording a collective 3.20 ERA. However, his 67.2 innings with the Rangers after being moved at the trade deadline were excellent. He earned a 2.79 ERA, 80.8% left-on-base rate, 41.1% ground ball rate, and 3.27 FIP.
The Yankees don’t necessarily need more left-handed pitching support, given they have Carlos Rodon and Nestor Cortés. Currently, the team has a projected $235.7 active total payroll, providing them with about $45 million until they reach their 2023 payroll. They could open up some salary space by offloading a contract or releasing some players, but owner Hal Steinbrenner may have to push past the last luxury tax threshold if he wants to make substantial improvements.
One way or another, it seems as if the Yankees will be investing in a new starting pitcher, and that doesn’t even account for the potential re-signing of Frankie Montas on a one-year deal.