Jordan Montgomery takes mini shot at Yankees after third dominant Cardinals start

Don’t worry, though, New York Yankees fans. Jordan Montgomery wouldn’t have been pitching in the playoffs anyway, so pay no attention to what he does in St. Louis, good or bad. Right? …Right?

Right now, Montgomery’s output is looking exceptionally good through three starts in The Lou, where he sports an 0.54 ERA and 0.90 WHIP across 16.2 innings. In stark contrast to his time in the Bronx, he’s also recorded three wins in three National League appearances — one of which came against the Yankees, mid-mudslide.

All this is to say that … Harrison Bader could end up being an all-time important Yankees acquisition, considering Aaron Hicks couldn’t be further from useful and, in fact, has the worst WPA added of any MLB player this season. He might be the game’s worst player.

But Bader remains an injured unknown while Montgomery racks up accolades in the senior circuit, and that’s got the 6-6 left-hander feeling some type of way … especially considering the discourse surrounding his exit made it seem like the Yankees were happy to discard him.

While Montgomery toed the line after being asked about the Bombers on Wednesday, it’s clear he’s happier being somewhere he’s wanted.

Jordan Montgomery happier with Cardinals than Yankees it seems

As the usually-reserved Montgomery let slip after his third consecutive win:

"Again, what’s changed for Montgomery from New York to St. Louis?“Nothing,” Montgomery said. “I was tipping [pitches] in Queens [against the Mets], and [against Kansas City], I was one pitch away. Whatever … I’m a competitor and I’m trying to win every game. I want to be a guy this team can depend on.”…“Getting traded is part of the business,” Montgomery said. “I know what I’m worth and I think the Cardinals know what I’m worth.”"

According to Montgomery, there was an obvious fix to prevent the troubles he faced against the Mets and Royals, and he sorted things out as soon as he reached St. Louis. If the Yankees didn’t believe in him as their No. 4, that’s fine with him. He’s moved on to a team constantly in need of crafty left-handers, and they appear to have acquired another good one.

Shockingly, Monty’s not the only lefty the Yanks gave up at the trade deadline who’s thriving elsewhere, either.

JP Sears, too, has dominated with the A’s through two starts. In the prospect department, while Hayden Wesneski has scuffled in the Cubs’ system, Ken Waldichuk has also hit the ground running with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Maybe there’s something about being a left-hander with a solid fastball and breaking stuff that just makes you figure it all out the second you take the pinstripes off.

Even Montgomery at his worst would’ve been good insurance down the stretch for the Yankees, which would’ve been preferable to leaving the cupboard bare. Sadly, they didn’t figure that out in time — or come up with a contingency plan for the Marlins waffling.

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