Rangers acquire Montgomery in 5-player trade with Cardinals
The Texas Rangers acquired left-handed starter Jordan Montgomery, right-hander Chris Stratton, and international signing bonus pool money from the St. Louis Cardinals in exchange for minor-league infielder Thomas Saggese, right-hander Tekoah Roby, and left-hander John King, the team announced.
Montgomery is having a stellar campaign for an underachieving Cardinals squad. The southpaw owns a 3.42 ERA and 3.76 FIP in 121 innings pitched across 21 starts.
He'll provide the Rangers with another starting option alongside the recently-acquired Max Scherzer, as well as Andrew Heaney, Jon Gray, and Martin Perez. Texas also employs Jacob deGrom and Nathan Eovaldi, but both pitchers are on the injured list.
Stratton should immediately slot into the Rangers' bullpen. The 32-year-old is a veteran hurler, with eight seasons of big-league experience under his belt. He owns a 3.06 FIP and 9.9 K/9 in 42 appearances this season.
The Cardinals landed the Rangers' No. 11 and No. 14 prospects in Roby and Saggese, as well as a middle relief option in King.
Roby, 21, owned a 2-3 record with a 5.05 ERA and 9.7 K/9 in 10 Double-A starts this season. The 21-year-old Saggese posted a .894 OPS with 15 home runs and 78 RBIs for Frisco.
Meanwhile, King appeared in 15 games for the Rangers this season. The 28-year-old owns a 3.55 FIP in 18 2/3 innings.
The deal comes moments after the Cardinals traded closer Jordan Hicks to the Toronto Blue Jays and one day after the Rangers nabbed Scherzer from the New York Mets.
The Rangers hold a slim one-game lead over the Houston Astros for the top spot in the American League West.