The Reds have agreed to a deal with free agent righty Frankie Montasaccording to Jon Heyman of the New York Post (Left to X). Heyman reported that Montas would be paid around $15 million to $16 million for the one-year deal, and Bob Nightengale of USA Today adds that the salary is actually $16 million. Montas is represented by Boras Corporation.
After Nick Martinez signed a two-year, $26 million deal last month, Montas is the second Boras prospect to join Cincinnati's rotation mix. While Martinez could still factor into the Reds' bullpen plans, Montas is more of a clear-cut starter assuming he returns to full health in 2023 after a lost season.
The Reds' projected rotation of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Lodolo has a lot of potential, but also a lot of injury questions and not a lot of big league experience. As such, the Reds were known to be looking for starting pitching help this winter, and they have been linked to a variety of names on both the free agent and trade fronts. Given Cincinnati's deep minor league depth, a trade always seemed like the most likely route for pitching help, but the Reds have also been linked to free agents like Seth Lugo, Yariel Rodriguez and old friend Sonny Gray.
Gray's name could be in the background of today's signing, as the Reds would certainly like to see Montas emulate Gray as a starter who got back on track in Cincinnati after struggling in the Bronx. After finishing sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting with the A's in 2021, Montas continued to pitch well in 2022 and was one of the most sought-after pitchers at the trade deadline. Oakland eventually traded Montas to the Yankees in a six-player trade, but almost immediately after the deal was completed, things went haywire for Montas.
Montas struggled with a 6.35 ERA over eight starts and 39 2/3 innings for the Yankees as he tried to overcome some shoulder problems that were bothering him before the trade. He spent some time on the injured list due to shoulder inflammation, which unfortunately set the stage for his nightmare of a 2023 season. The right-hander underwent labrum repair surgery in February and pitched in just one game last year (1 1/3 innings on Sept. 30), giving him at least some health reassurance heading into the offseason.
The Yankees were comfortable enough with Montas' shoulder that they had some interest in re-signing him this winter, but Montas will now head to Cincinnati for a fresh start. His contract was almost exactly the same one-year, $15 million deal that MLB Trade Rumors projected for Montas in our Top 50 Free Agents list, with Montas coming in at No. 44 in the rankings. If $15 million seems high for a pitcher who has essentially missed an entire season, the price speaks to the high cost of pitching and the potential upside Montas will bring if he returns to his old self finds back.
Montas showed his quality by posting a 3.13 ERA over 161 innings for Oakland during the 2018-19 season, but last season was cut short by an 80-game PED suspension. He also struggled during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season before turning in his first full top-flight season in 2021 with a 3.37 ERA and well-above-average strikeout and walk rates over 187 innings.
There's more to come…