Oakland Athletics ace pitcher Frankie Montas joins Luis Castillo in being the top arms available ahead of the Aug. 2 MLB trade deadline.
The MLB-best New York Yankees have been among those bandied about whe it comes to acquiring a top-of-the-rotation arm.
With the deadline set to pass in a few days, we’re now getting a report from Jon Heyman of MLB Network indicating that the Yankees are indeed in on Montas.
This can’t be considered too much of a surprise. New York and Oakland have worked together a ton in the past. There’s no reason to believe this will change with the Yankees boasting a prospect group that could be of interest to the rebuilding A’s.
Frankie Montas stats (2022): 4-9 record, 3.18 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 109 strikeouts in 104.2 innings
We can throw Montas’ record out the window. He’s pitching for a team that’s 26 games under .500. He has not gotten the run support.
Since returning from injury, Montas has given up two earned runs in eight innings while striking out nine. He’s also consistently hitting the high 90s with his fastball. Under team control through next season, the 29-year-old Montas is a highly-coveted trade chip.
Related: Updated MLB trade rumors
Cost of the New York Yankees pulling off a Frankie Montas trade
Montas is earning just a hair over $5 million this season. Depending on how he performs moving forward, that number could double in the final year of arbitration in 2023.
It’s still a massive value even for a big-market club like the Yankees. This also ups the ante when it comes to a return for the A’s.
- Frankie Montas contract: 1 year, $5.03 million; arbitration in 2023, free agent in 2024
There’s also a decent chance that a hypothetical Frankie Montas trade could be expanded to include stud defender Ramon Laureano heading to the Bronx.
New York has been in the market for an upgrade in the outfield. He can play all three outfield positions and boasts some pop (10 HR in 2022). For now, we stick with Montas and how a trade might look.
Related: New York Yankees schedule and game-by-game predictions
- New York Yankees trade: Ken Waldichuk, Hayden Wesneski, Luis Medina
- Oakland Athletics trade: Frankie Montas
New York would have to give up two top-10 prospects if it were to acquire Montas from the A’s. That much is clear. It’s now all about who Oakland might prefer.
In this scenario Billy Beane and Co. acquire three potential future starters — two of which could head to the bigs immediately.
Waldichuk, 24, is the Yankees’ fifth-ranked prospect. He’s been dominate at both Double-A and Triple-A this season, pitching to a 6-3 combined record with a 2.60 ERA while striking out 110 batters in 72.2 innings.
Also in Triple-A at this moment, Wesneski has posted a 3.39 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 18 starts. He’s New York’s No. 7 prospect. Meanwhile, Medina boasts some electric stuff with his fastball already reaching 100 miles-per-hour in Double-A.
That might seem to be a lot for the Yankees to give up. But they’d be acquiring a true ace with another season of team conrol. This also wouldn’t be too cost prohibitive if Brian Cashman and Co. wants to hit a home run and pull off a blockbuster trade for Washington Nationals star Juan Soto.
Either way, a rotation consisting of Frankie Montas, Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino (when he returns) would be set up well for postseason success. It certainly is time for the Yankees to go all in as they attempt to win their first World Series since all the way back in 2009.