When the Athletics traded away Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Sean Manaea, and Chris Bassitt before the start of the 2022 MLB season, many wondered if Frankie Montas would also join the exodus.
The A's decided to hang on to Montas with the idea that trading him before the Aug. 2 deadline would make more sense.
Now, with just a few days until the trade deadline, that strategy by general manager David Forst and president of baseball operations Billy Beane is looking good.
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In light of a blockbuster trade by the Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds on Friday night, if the A's play their hand correctly, they should get a solid group of prospects for Montas.
In a stunning all-in move, the Mariners acquired two-time All-Star starting pitcher Luis Castillo from the Reds. The package Seattle sent back to Cincinnati should give everyone an idea of what the price tag is for a quality starting pitcher right now.
The Reds get back three of the Mariners' top five prospects per MLB Pipeline: Shortstop Noelvi Marte (No. 1), shortstop Edwin Arroyo (No. 3), and right-handed pitcher Levi Stoudt (No. 5). Cincinnati also received right-handed pitcher Andrew Moore. Marte is ranked as the No. 18 prospect in all of the minors, per MLB Pipeline, while Arroyo just entered the Top 100 at No. 93.
That is an absolute haul for the 29-year-old Castillo, who comes with one more year of team control before hitting free agency. In 14 starts with the Reds this season, he has a 2.86 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 85 innings. He's striking out 9.5 batters per nine innings and has a 1.07 WHIP.
The A's hold a similar trade chip in Montas, who likely is viewed as a small step down from Castillo. But now the 29-year-old Oakland starter is the best pitcher left on the market, with teams starved for top-of-the-rotation hurlers as the pennant race heats up.
Oakland Athletics
Montas, like Castillo, is arbitration eligible for the 2023 MLB season, so whichever team trades for him isn't just getting a rental for the rest of this season.
Montas finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting last season and putting equally as good numbers this season, if not better. In 19 starts for the A's, he has a 3.18 ERA and has struck out 109 batters in 104 2/3 innings.
MLB.com's Mark Feinsand reported, citing sources, that a dozen teams made an offer for Castillo before the Mariners were able to land him. That means the 11 other teams now will turn their attention to Montas, and that should work in the favor of the A's,
Shortly after the Mariners and Reds completed their trade, The New York Post's Jon Heyman reported that Montas now is the top target of the New York Yankees, who missed out on Castillo.
The Yankees' interest is good news for the A's since New York's farm system is strong, with several top 100 prospects, including shortstops Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, outfielder Jasson Dominguez, catcher Austin Wells, and left-handed pitcher Ken Waldichuk.
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The New York Post's Joel Sherman reported that the Yankees wouldn't give up Volpe, their top prospect, for Castillo, but were willing to discuss Peraza, who is at Triple-A. But that wasn't a good enough starting point for the Reds. Peraza is the Yankees' No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, so if that's the baseline for a potential trade, the A's will be in good shape.
The A's held on to Montas for a few extra months and they should be able to cash in on the gamble in the coming days. With a farm system in desperate need of high-end players, this might just be the deal to do the trick.