The Cubs traded for Mike Montgomery in 2016, and although he had a rough start with his new team the lefty ultimately became one of Joe Maddon's most trusted relievers. By the end of the 2016 World Series, Montgomery was on the mound for the final out, as the Cubs broke their 108-year championship drought.
Since then, Montgomery was used as a spot starter in 2017-18, while his numbers as a reliever began to decline. He made it known that he wanted a chance to be part of the starting rotation, but after Yu Darvish and Tyler Chatwood were signed and Cole Hamels was traded for in 2018, Montgomery was relegated to a bullpen role in 2019.
The lefty dealt with an injury in spring training and was put on the injured list early in April too. Montgomery was out for a little more than a month, but when he returned things didn't get better.
Maddon kept using Montgomery as a left-handed specialist, when it was obvious that Montgomery wasn't and the overall numbers were bad too. In 20 appearances this season for the Cubs, Montgomery had a 5.67 ERA and 1.78 WHIP in 27 innings.
Things got so bad that teammates were down on him and one day Montgomery was even sent home.
Rough.
But at the end this trade is a positive for all sides. Montgomery finally gets steady time as a starter, the Cubs get Martin Maldonado, who they wanted in the offseason, and hey for the most part Montgomery will be remembered positively.
Good luck in KC!
Comments
Join the discussion below. Keep it civil and focused on the content.
Loading comments...