Frankie Montas has been for the fourth time in his career. According to Jack Curry of YES Network, the Oakland Athletics sent Montas and teammate Lou Trivino to the New York Yankees in exchange for relievers J.P. Sears, Ken Waldichuk and Luis Medina, and second baseman Cooper Bowman. Montas was one of the most sought-after starting pitchers on the market. In 19 starts, he has a 3-9 record with a 3.18 ERA in 104 2/3 innings. Like Luis Castillo, Montas will still be under team control in 2023. Despite the lack of quality pitchers on the market this summer, the interest in Montas was strong. There was little reason for the Athletics to rush to trade Montas, but he had to be moved at some point.
The Yankees have acquired Montas and Trivino from Oakland.
— Jack Curry (@JackCurryYES) August 1, 2022
Athletics general manager David Forst already traded away Chris Bassitt, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson and Sean Manaea when the lockout ended. For the majority of his career, Montas showed potential. A suspension for performance-enhancing drugs derailed his 2019 breakout campaign. The following season he was not effective in the shortened 2020 season. However, Montas pulled it together as he earned several Cy Young ballots in 2021 with a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts.
Montas was previously with the Boston Red Sox, Chicago White Sox, and Los Angeles Dodgers franchises. When he came to Oakland from the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2016, Montas appeared in 23 games in 2017. He allowed 25 runs in 32 innings with a 7.03 ERA. In 2018, Montas showed improvement, compiling a 5-4 record with a 3.88 ERA in 11 starts. Montas was 9-2 with 103 strikeouts in 16 starts before his suspension. On March 22, 2022, Montas signed a $5.02 million contract with Oakland to avoid salary arbitration. After the 2023 season, he will likely sign a big contract.
Even though he has been traded as part of the package, he is the headliner this time. Montas will be a key player in the team’s starting rotation. It will be interesting to see how he performs in the postseason. Montas is 1-1 with a career 9.53 ERA in two appearances with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings of work.
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Players Mentioned:
Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino, Ken Waldichuk, Luis Medina, Cooper Bowman, Luis Castillo, Chris Bassitt, Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Sean Manaea
