The New York Yankees Acquired right-handed pitchers Frankie Montas and Lou Trevino Oakland Athletics In exchange for a package of prospects, the teams announced Monday. The Athletics will get four starters: lefties JP Sears and Ken Waldychuk, righty Luis Medina and second baseman Cooper Bowman.
Montas, 29, opened the trade market atop following Friday night trading. Seattle Mariners Get Luis Castillo Cincinnati Reds. In 19 starts this season, Montas has compiled a 3.18 ERA (117 ERA+) and a 3.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His contributions are estimated at 1.6 hits above replacement, according to Baseball-Reference’s calculations.
CBS Sports recently ranked Montas as the second best pitcher. Here’s what we wrote at the time:
Montas’ arsenal remains power-oriented. He throws four pitches over 10 percent, and none of them go slower than 86 mph. (A wide velocity band is needed to keep the batter balanced.) The main reason he’s behind Castillo is that he’s reliably unreliable. Put another way, Castillo is on pace for his fourth 100-plus inning season in five attempts; Montas’ next was the second of his career, the result of injury and suspension. Brightly, he’s very good when he’s available, and an acquisition team could command his services through the 2023 season.
Montas improves a Yankees rotation that currently includes Gerrit Cole, Jameson Taillon, Nestor Cortez, Jordan Montgomery and Domingo German. To make room for Montas, the German figures to be bumped from the starting five. When Luis Severino returns from his stint on the injured list, it’s unclear how the Yankees will return with a drained lot. (He is expected to start throwing soon.)
Looking for more on Montas Trading? Fantasy Baseball Today recorded an emergency episode to break down the deal. Listen below:
Trivino, In addition to peer deadlines Scott Efros will help the Yankees bullpen, which already lost Michael King and Chad Green for the season. Trevino was recently profiled by CBS Sports as one of the best under-the-radar trade candidates. Based on his new sweeping slider and the promise of a steady batting average on ground balls.
Sears, 26, appeared in seven games this season for the big-league team, amassing a 2.05 ERA (190 ERA+) and a 3.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio. He’s a small left-hander with a flat angle at the top of the zone who relies on three pitches: a low-to-mid-90s fastball, a slider and a changeup. Sears has a history of throwing strikes and should get a chance to become at least a back-end starter for the A’s soon.
Waldychuk, 24, has posted a 3.59 ERA and a 3.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 Triple-A starts. He has a deceptive delivery and a good fastball-change combination, with a couple of breaking balls that edge or better. Waldychuk struggled with his location, and he could be at peace. The A’s look to him as a starter because they have no real reason to.
Medina, 23, is viewed as a certain reliever. His fastball-breaking combination is very good, but he’s a small right-hander with a career walk rate of just over six per nine innings. He posted a 3.38 ERA and a 2.03 strikeout-to-walk ratio in Double-A this year.
Then there’s Bowman, a 22-year-old middle infielder. He is hitting .217/.343/.355 with eight home runs in 80 High-A games.
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