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On the first day of August, Yankees general manager Brian Cashman got busy in the trade market. It was all about adding some fresh pitching arms; with a block buster deal landing highly touted Oakland Athletics starter, Frankie Montas. Montas has been one of the hottest names on the trade market and the Yankees had been heavily linked to him the whole time. Once again, it was YES Network’s, Jack Curry, who broke the news first on twitter. It fired up Yankees fans everywhere, as their dream for a chance at a 28th World Series championship got even better with the new acquisition.
In retrospect, the Yankees didn’t give up too much to acquire Montas. Compared to what was given up for Luis Castillo, there’s a significant difference. It is possible that a slight shoulder injury last month drove Montas’ value down a little. The Yankees sent left-handed Pitchers Ken Waldichuk and J.P. Sears, along with right-handed pitcher Louis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman. The most notable was Waldichuk, who was ranked the 5th best prospect and was in the 2022 Futures Game. In the minors this season, Waldichuk had a 6-3 record, in 76.1 innings pitched, with a 2.71 ERA, 116 strikeouts and a 1.14 WHIP.
Louis Medina was their 10th best ranked prospect, Bowman was their 21st best, and Sears was their 17th. Sears, however, has MLB experience and showed up a few times for the Yankees this season. In 22 innings pitched for the Yankees this season, Sears was 3-0, with a 2.05 ERA, 15 strikeouts and a 0.86 WHIP. Sears flashed some nice potential while pitching for the Yankees this season and despite being their 17th ranked prospect, those showcasing’s likely helped run up his value in the trade. On top of Montas, the Yankees also got relief pitcher Lou Trivino.
Montas is a seven-year veteran who isn’t scheduled to be a free agent until 2024. The 29-year-old will slot right into the Yankees pitching rotation and right now, would likely be their game two starter in a playoff series. In his career, Montas has a 35-32 record, with a 3.73 ERA, in 552.2 innings pitched, 578 strikeouts and a 1.274 WHIP. This season with Oakland, Montas is 4-9 (not much offensive help), with a 3.18 ERA, in 104.2 innings pitched and 109 strikeouts. Montas is a power pitcher who features a 96-mph fastball along with a sinker, slider, cutter, and split finger. He generates plenty of swinging strikes. Perhaps the most exciting part of this trade is the pairing of Montas with Yankees pitching coach, Matt Blake, who has been phenomenal since joining the team. Blake could really help Montas with that slider, like he has done for the likes of Michael King and help Montas take it to another level. The Yankees, who own the best record in baseball and the leading MVP candidate in Aaron Judge, got much better today and their hope for a World Series title got better along with it.
