Jordan Montgomery gets warm welcome from new team before facing old team

ST. LOUIS — Jordan Montgomery strung together a small handful of words — all with similar meanings — in describing what it will feel like to take the mound against the Yankees on Saturday night.

“Weird. Strange. Awkward,” the lefthander said with a smile Friday afternoon.

Montgomery was wearing the red and white representative of the Cardinals, the team he was traded to on Tuesday for centerfielder Harrison Bader (who isn’t expected back until September because of plantar fasciitis).

Now Montgomery’s first start with his new team will take place against his old one.

“It's not exactly what you want to do for your first time being in a new organization, but I'm a competitor,” said Montgomery, 3-3 with a 3.69 ERA in 21 starts this season with the Yankees. “I know I'll get out there and shake off the nerves. I'm sure people will be looking at me, trying to say ‘hey’ and stuff. I know Gleyber [Torres] probably will. But it's a game. I'm gonna go out there and play a game against my friends, I guess.”

When Montgomery met with the media in New York after news of the trade became official, he clearly had shed plenty of tears. That's not surprising, given that the Yankees were the only organization he had ever known after being chosen in the fourth round of the 2014 draft.

“This is my family,” Montgomery said Tuesday at Yankee Stadium.

But he is quickly starting to adjust to a new family, an adjustment that has been made easier by how welcoming his new teammates have been.

Additionally, Montgomery perhaps has been motivated by some of the comments made by Yankees general manager Brian Cashman after that trade. Cashman indicated  that the deal was made with October in mind. In other words, Bader, if healthy, assuredly will have a role in any Yankees postseason run. Montgomery, not so assuredly.

“If  [Cashman] thinks that, I don't care,” Montgomery said evenly. “Obviously, I’m in the talks here [for an October role], so I’m excited to be wanted.”  

Montgomery would be heartened to know that his trade perplexed quite a few in his former organization, including more than a few players. As for his new teammates, he said they could not have made his transition easier.

He said “it’s kind of awkward sometimes introducing myself,” but he hasn’t had to do it much. Upon walking into the Cardinals' clubhouse the first day, he found most players coming up to him, including the likely future Hall of Fame battery of Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina.

“The guys are great,” Montgomery said. “Everybody came straight up to me and introduced themselves and told me how happy they were to have me, which means a lot. It kind of takes the pressure off of me. Waino,  Yadi, those guys kind of immediately gave me a hug first thing in here. So I'm excited. And lucky to have some people to reach out to some teammates [with the Cardinals] that they know and were like, ‘just take care of our guy.’ So I appreciate all of my friends that did that, too.”

One of those teammates was Matt Carpenter, who was drafted by the Cardinals in 2009 and was with the organization through last season before having his career reborn with the Yankees this year.

“That was a hard thing to watch because I know the emotions that he was going through,” Carpenter said Friday, recalling the scene with Montgomery on Tuesday. “He spent his whole career in this place. He didn’t really know what to think, but I was really trying to fire him up. I was like, ‘it’s hard for you to realize this now, but you’re going to love this. It’s going to be a great thing.’ ”

Montgomery is getting on board with it.

“Excitement’s setting in,” he said. “I'm seeing all the pros of this organization — the dudes, the fans, the stadium. It’s just excitement now. I’m excited to be a Cardinal.”