FanSided’s Robert Murray<\/a>.<\/p>\nThe 30-year-old Montgomery was drafted by the Yankees and established himself as a solid major league starter at that club. He debuted in 2017 with 29 starts, a 3.88 ERA, a 22.2% strikeout rate, a 7.9% walk rate, and a 40.7% ground ball rate. Unfortunately, Tommy John surgery and the pandemic prevented him from scoring many innings during the 2018-2020 period, and he struggled a bit when he was on the mound.<\/p>\n
He’s back on track in 2021 with 30 starts and a 3.83 ERA, though his strikeout and ground ball rates are up a bit compared to the 2017 season. He had another solid campaign in 2022, which included a mid-season trade to Cards, where he finished with his 3.48 ERA and made only 21.8% of the hitters he faced. Although he took it, he reduced the walk rate to 5% and raised the ground ball rate to 47.6%.<\/p>\n
Montgomery first qualified for arbitration in the 2021 season, earning a salary of $2.13 million, and earned $6 million last year. MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz predicts Montgomery is expecting a $10.1 million annual salary, and the southpaw was closing in on that amount last season before becoming a free agent. He’s one of four starters in the St. Louis rotation scheduled to hit the open market after this season. Jack Flaherty<\/strong> Also in his last arbitration year Adam Wainwright<\/strong> When Miles Michaelas<\/strong> They are in the final season of their respective contracts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n