ESPN discusses idea of trading away Mike Montgomery |
The Chicago Cubs are battling back from a rough start of the season now with a middle of the road record of 10-10.
Recent injury news that standout closer Brandon Morrow has been shut down and will not be available for an extended amount of time has everyone including fans concerned with the back half of the team's bullpen. ESPN's Jesse Rogers thinks that one trade piece that the Cubs have is Mike Montgomery whose value might at a premium right now for teams looking for a quality starter in his prime (29-years old). "First off, the left-hander is further than ever from his stated goal of being in a rotation, considering that Tyler Chatwood is ahead of him both in the long relief role and as a spot starter," he said. "Chatwood, last year's MLB leader in issuing walks, helped his cause immensely and shocked Cubs fans in throwing six shutout innings Sunday. Meanwhile, Montgomery is taking a good amount of time to recover from a lat injury, as he was stretched out to four innings in a rehab start for Double-A Tennessee on Monday. He could conceivably jump into someone's rotation if need be." Rogers believes that the Cubs and the White Sox could be trade partners again. "Considering it is really early in the season to make deals, the Cubs would most likely need to trade with a team that is already obviously rebuilding, one that isn't concerned with the standings or holding on to its closer," he said. "They could even turn to their counterpart on the South Side of Chicago, offering Montgomery for righty Alex Colome." It is an interesting trade idea as Montgomery is currently No. 7 on the rotation list for the Cubs. However, the Cubs staff is an aging group so you don't know how healthy they can hold up all season. If you can get an elite closer for Montgomery, I think you really have to think hard about pulling the trigger to try to improve the weakness of the team. Everything has changed now that Morrow is a huge question mark for 2019. Montgomery has only pitched 2.2 innings this season giving up six runs for a 16.88 ERA.
