Getty Frankie Montas' Yankees tenure is officially over now that he's signing with the Reds. This is a familiar path for someone in his situation.
At the 2022 MLB trade deadline, the New York Yankees swung a deal to boost their pitching staff. General manager Brian Cashman dealt four minor leaguers to the Oakland Athletics for starting pitcher Frankie Montas and reliever Lou Trivino.
Montas’ time in pinstripes wasn’t what anyone hoped it’d be. That chapter of his career officially closed on December 30 when Jon Heyman of the New York Post reported he agreed to a one-year, $16 million deal with the Cincinnati Reds.
The hurler’s career path, which has included stops with the Chicago White Sox, Oakland, New York and now Cincinnati, nearly mirrors that of another failed Yankees acquisition: starting pitcher Sonny Gray. This was pointed out on X (formerly Twitter) by Addison. He said, “If I had a nickel for everytime the Yankees traded for an Oakland A’s Starting Pitcher, they underperformed, and then they signed with the Reds, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t much but it’s weird that it happened twice.”
If I had a nickel for everytime the Yankees traded for an Oakland A’s Starting Pitcher, they underperformed, and then they signed with the Reds, I’d have 2 nickels. Which isn’t much but it’s weird that it happened twice
The Similarities and Differences Between Montas and Gray
Oakland dealt Gray to New York at the 2017 trade deadline. He went 4-7 with a 3.72 ERA and 1.26 WHIP in 65.1 innings after landing in the Bronx.
While he produced an 11-9 record in 2018, it was accompanied by a 4.90 ERA and 1.50 WHIP in 130.1 innings. After not getting the production they were hoping for, Cashman and Co. shipped Gray to the Reds in a trade before the 2020 season. Although his tenure in New York was subpar, the Yankees got much more from him than they did from Montas.
Before getting traded, Montas posted a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts for the A’s. Over his final eight regular-season starts with the Bombers, he struggled to a 6.35 ERA in 39.2 innings. This also included a stint on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. After tossing just one inning during the 2022 postseason, his 2023 campaign was limited to 1.1 innings after undergoing shoulder surgery in February.
The career paths for Gray and Montas nearly look identical. But, how they each eventually landed in Cincinnati was different.
Did Montas Arrive in the Bronx as Damaged Goods?
While chatting with reporters on March 8, 2023, Montas said he wasn’t fully healthy upon getting acquired at the trade deadline. MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch relayed the hurler’s comments, saying “Frankie Montas said that he ‘wasn’t 100%’ when the Yankees acquired him. ‘I was trying to push through. I got traded to a new team and wanted to show what I could do. Things didn’t go the way I was expecting.'”
Frankie Montas said that he “wasn’t 100%” when the Yankees acquired him. “I was trying to push through. I got traded to a new team and wanted to show what I could do. Things didn’t go the way I was expecting.”
Montas didn’t spend any time on the injured list with Oakland before getting traded. However, he exited a July 3 start after one inning because of shoulder tightness.
On March 9, Cashman addressed the media about those comments. Greg Joyce of the New York Post relayed the long-time New York executive’s perspective on the issue:
“I know [Wednesday] he said clearly he was hurt, but I think in terms of context, it’s easy for him to say that now, but when we got him, he said he felt great, he was feeling 100 percent and ready to go. I feel like he was genuine and sincere. So you go through the medical deep dive that you can do in-season.
You deal with the player when you get him and how he’s feeling. Everything came back good and aces, and without concern. But it didn’t play out that way.”
Either way, the Frankie Montas Era is officially over in the Bronx. Like his former teammate, the right-hander is likely hoping some time with the Reds will help him get his career back on track.