The St. Louis Cardinals have been one of the most active teams in baseball this offseason. St. Louis wanted to sign three starting pitchers and did so extremely quickly. The Cardinals signed Sonny Gray, Lance Lynn, and Kyle Gibson almost immediately when free agency kicked off. Although the Cardinals already have made solid additions to the rotation, there has been speculation that another move could be on the way. St. Louis even has been linked on multiple occasions to former Cardinals hurler Jordan Montgomery in free agency, although a move always has seemed unlikely.St. Louis spent a lot to bring in Gray, Lynn, and Gibson, so landing someone like Montgomery has always seemed like a pipe dream. It certainly doesn’t sound like there’s any chance Montgomery will return to St. Louis and now is “widely expected” to re-sign with the Texas Rangers, according to USA Today Sports’ Bob Nightengale. “Jordan Montgomery is widely expected to re-sign with the Texas Rangers, but if there was any doubt, Arlington-based Hurtado Barbecue is making sure it will happen,” Nightengale said. “They have offered Montgomery free barbecue for the rest of his life. “We’re going to give you free barbecue for life,” owner Brandon Hurtado said in a video. “Not a joke, I’m dead serious. Jordan, if you come back and pitch for the Rangers this season, you’ll never pay for Hurtado Barbecue again.” St. Louis traded for Montgomery in 2022 and he quickly became the club’s top starter. Although that is the case, the Cardinals struggled in 2023 and St. Louis was one of the biggest sellers ahead of the trade deadline and dealt Montgomery to the Rangers. Bringing Montgomery back to St. Louis would go a long way in stabilizing the rotation, but it certainly sounds like a move isn’t in the cards.
