At the trade deadline in 2022, the St. Louis Cardinals made some key moves to strengthen their starting rotation, adding veterans Jordan Montgomery and Jose Quintana.

Both proved to be solid pickups, with Quintana ultimately drawing the start in Game 1 of the Wild Card series against the Philadelphia Phillies and Montgomery pitching a few solid innings out of the bullpen in Game 2.

But there was another starter that the team had eyes on.

Frankie Montas was that starter.

He was ultimately acquired by the New York Yankees before the Cardinals added Montgomery.

However, Montas has struggled with his health recently, meaning the Cardinals were smart to not make a move for him.

The St. Louis Cardinals avoided a major catastrophe by not making this trade (via @joshjacoMLB) #STLCards https://t.co/EyBBro6Biv

— Joshua Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) February 5, 2023

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The 29-year-old finished the 2022 season with a 5-12 record and an ERA of 4.05 in 27 starts.

Now, the veteran right-hander may miss the entire 2023 season due to a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, Quintana went 3-2 with a 2.01 ERA in 12 starts with the Cardinals, while Montgomery went 6-3 with a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts with his new team.

Montgomery is also a potential candidate for a contract extension, which could help ease the burden on the Cardinals, who currently only have one starter under contract for 2024.

The Yankees, despite having signed Carlos Rodon to go along with Nestor Cortes and Gerrit Cole, find themselves in a difficult spot with Montas.

They now have an open spot in their starting rotation that will need to be addressed at some point during the season, if it is not addressed soon.

Ultimately, the Cardinals dodged a bullet by not going after Montas, which made a key difference down the stretch in 2022.

The post The Cardinals Were Wise To Avoid Trading For Frankie Montas appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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The Philadelphia Eagles are in the Super Bowl because of their elite roster.

They have Pro Bowl players all over the field, and that has been their big advantage over most of their opponents.

In the Super Bowl, the Eagles will have the same advantage over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Eagles roster is stronger than the Chiefs in just about spot on the field, except quarterback.

One spot that could decide this game is in the trenches.

The battle of the offensive and defensive lines of each team will play a massive role.

Luckily for the Eagles, they have the best offensive line in the NFL.

There may not be a team that is a close second either.

According to PFF, the Eagles have elite players in all five offensive line spots.

The Eagles offensive line is a brick wall pic.twitter.com/bv7clWpKPl

— PFF (@PFF) February 6, 2023

As you can see they are the only team in the NFL with a player ranked in the top 10 at each spot.

You can bet the Eagles will try and use that to their advantage in this game.

They enter with the top rushing attack in the NFL and led the NFL in rushing touchdowns this past season.

Expect to see them run the ball early and often, to try and control the clock and keep Patrick Mahomes off the field.

It will be interesting to see if the Chiefs have any answer for the Eagles’ rushing attack.

The Chiefs allowed 107.2 rushing yards per game this year.

If they can keep the Eagles around that number, the Chiefs will be in a great position to win.

For those that love trench warfare, this will be a game for you.

The post The Eagles Have An Elite Advantage Up Front appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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The Kansas City Chiefs have added an interesting piece to their roster just six days ahead of the Super Bowl.

While the team’s running backs, Isiah Pacheco and Jerick McKinnon, have looked great in previous weeks, the team has decided to include another player into the mix.

The #Chiefs have activated RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire from Reserve/Injured and placed WR Mecole Hardman on Reserve/Injured.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 6, 2023

Clyde Edwards-Helaire has officially been activated from injured reserve, and will likely be added to the Chiefs Super Bowl roster.

This comes on the heels of the unfortunate news that Mecole Hardman will be placed on the IR due to his pelvis injury.

His season is effectively over and he will be unable to play in the biggest game of the season.

Edwards-Helaire hasn’t touched the field since the week of November 20, and has been sidelined ever since.

However, even before he was injured, Edwards-Helaire had not put together a strong showing on the season, as his best individual game was on October 2, where he had 62 rushing yards, two receptions, and two touchdowns.

Besides that game, he has been largely ineffective for the Chiefs.

Will the Chiefs place any faith in Edwards-Helaire to succeed in the postseason?

He does have a history of fumbling, especially in the team’s biggest moments.

We will soon see how involved Edwards-Helaire will be in this game, as the Chiefs look to win their second Super Bowl in the past five seasons.

Patrick Mahomes has spread the ball around to multiple pass-catchers this season, but due to Edwards-Helaire’s lack of playing time as of late, this will be a situation to monitor moving forward.

The post NFL Analyst Provides Chiefs Injury Updates Ahead Of Super Bowl appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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