3 trade targets for the Angels to start scouting if the Cardinals continue to tank

The St. Louis Cardinals are a mess. That's something the Los Angeles Angels saw firsthand last week. The Angels swept their three-game series in St. Louis, winning each game in different ways. We saw them score runs, we saw them pitch well, and we saw them win a game late. The Angels caused the diehard fans at Busch Stadium to boo their own team, something you rarely see there.

The Cards won yesterday but had lost eight in a row before that. They now sit at 11-24 this season and have the worst record in the National League. They made the decision to move Willson Contreras away from behind the dish and make him their full-time DH for reasons I cannot comprehend.

The Cardinals are a team stockpiled with talent and just haven't played well. They're one year removed from a 93-win season and an NL Central division title. Assuming the Cardinals don't go on an insane run to catapult them back into postseason contention, the Angels should be doing their homework to see if a deal can be made closer to this year's trade deadline. These three players could be good fits.

1) LA Angels trade target on the Cardinals: Jordan Montgomery

The Cardinals made an interesting trade at last season's trade deadline sending Harrison Bader to the Yankees in exchange for Jordan Montgomery. The Cards have a ton of outfielders so this deal made sense from their perspective, and Montgomery has been even better than expected.

Last season, he had a 3.11 ERA in 11 starts for the Cardinals. He helped them catch and pass the Brewers to win the NL Central.

This season, the Cardinals pitching is a mess, but Montgomery has been the one bright spot. He has a 3.29 ERA in his first seven starts of the season to go along with a 2.87 FIP. He's not an ace, but the Angels don't need an ace. He's a guy who can give you six quality innings per start, something the Angels desperately need.

Montgomery has gone at least five innings in all but one of his starts. He's gone at least six innings in all but two of his starts. He's allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of his starts, and two runs or fewer in all but two. Bottom line, most of the time, he's money.

With Montgomery being a free agent at the end of the year, it'd behoove the Cardinals to move on and get compensation for him if indeed they remain out of contention.