The Cincinnati Reds have signed pitcher Frankie Montas to a one-year, $14 million deal. It includes a $20 million mutual option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout.
The potential second season in Cincinnati will depend on his performance in 2024. He must prove he’s still a worthy starting pitcher after undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder last season. That injury limited him to 1.1 innings for the New York Yankees, giving up two hits, one base on balls, and one strikeout.
Welcome to Reds Country, @FrankieMontas‼️ pic.twitter.com/3f2P8gLiCV
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) January 2, 2024
Montas joined the Yankees in August 2022 after the Oakland Athletics traded him and Lou Trivino for Ken Waldichuk, Cooper Bowman, JP Sears, and Luis Medina. While the Yankees activated him from the injured list last September, they decided to let him test free agency.
At his best, Montas is a solid starting pitcher. In 2021, he received votes for the Cy Young Award after posting at 3.37 earned run average and a 13-9 record in 32 games. That year, he struck out 207 batters and surrendered 164 hits in 187 innings.
His best ERA came in 2019 when he had 2.63 for the Athletics. He had a 9-2 record and struck out 103 batters in 96 innings. Unfortunately, his season was cut short after testing positive for the banned substance Enobosarm, formerly known as ostarine, leading to an 80-game suspension without pay.
Montas started his Major League Baseball career with the Chicago White Sox in 2015. A year later, he was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers but never suited up for the MLB team due to a rib surgery. Instead, he played AA and AAA baseball with the Dodgers’ affiliates.
The Dodgers traded Montas, Grant Holmes, and Jharel Cotton to the Athletics for Rich Hill and Josh Reddick. Montas signed a $5 million deal with the Athletics five months before the team traded him to the Yankees.
The sinker and the splitter are Montas’ main pitches. He also mixes it with sliders, cutters, and fastballs.
-Lance Fernandez