As Jordan Montgomery remains available via free agency, many have debated whether or not the lefty would be open to a return to the Bronx, wondering if he would go back to a team that shipped him out in the midst of a historic start to the 2022 season.
C-Mac doesn’t see Montgomery taking anything personally when it comes to the trade, and if the Yankees would be willing to pay, why wouldn’t he entertain a reunion?
“Show me where [Brian Cashman] publicly said, ‘we do not see him as a starting pitcher in the postseason,’” C-Mac said, noting reports that the Yanks traded Montgomery because they didn’t see him as a playoff starter in 2022. “That particular team, which was the best team in baseball for a while…considering where they were with the center field position and the outfield, they deemed that they needed a center fielder more than Montgomery.
That’s sports. That’s business.
“They traded him to the Cardinals. They didn’t send him to Alaska.”
Others wonder if Montgomery would come back to New York after his career reached a new level after leaving the Yanks, as he tweaked his pitch usage and became a top-of-the-rotation starter for the Rangers on their way to a World Series title. C-Mac doesn’t see that as any kind of road block to a reunion, and doesn’t think the Yankees should be criticized for how the trade went down.
“Montgomery had the value, and they got a player who they thought was a world-class defender and could help them in the postseason,” C-Mac said. “And guess what? Bader helped them more in the playoffs than Montgomery would have. Plain and simple. [Bader] was their best hitter.”