New York Yankees pitcher Luis Gil is going to be sidelined for the next couple of weeks as he looks to rebound from a lat strain. This leaves the Yankees with Marcus Stroman in their starting rotation, but some believe the Bronx Bombers are still going to try to trade Stroman this season.
If they don’t want Stroman and Gil is on the sidelines, who will the Yankees fill out the rotation with?
FanSided’s Rucker Haringey recently linked the Yankees to Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Jordan Montgomery as a replacement for Gil.
DENVER, COLORADO – SEPTEMBER 17: Jordan Montgomery #52 of the Arizona Diamondbacks pitches in the first inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Coors Field on September 17, 2024 in Denver, Colorado.
“The Yankees might see a lot of bounce-back potential in the crafty southpaw, though,” Haringey wrote. “The last season, other than 2024, that he pitched to an ERA of over 4.00 was all the way back in 2020. It’s conceivable that New York might be willing to give him a chance to rejuvenate his career in the Bronx.”
“That sort of deal will only happen if the Diamondbacks are willing to eat a huge portion of his salary. Montgomery is due $22.5 million, and the chances of him pitching well enough to justify that contract are slim. Even so, Montgomery has a higher upside than Stroman, which makes him an intriguing trade candidate if the finances work out.”
Montgomery is an intriguing option. If he can return to his old self from the 2021, 2022 and 2023 seasons, he would be a huge upgrade over Stroman. But if he pitches the way he did in 2024 again, he’s not worth a big league roster spot.
Acquiring Montgomery wouldn’t be as high risk as you might think, though. For the Diamondbacks to trade him, they’d likely need to eat a large majority of his contract. If the Yankees can get off without paying him but a few million dollars, this deal makes a lot of sense.