MLB rumors: 5 players the Oakland Athletics should trade away
1. SP Frankie Montas
Montas’ sample of Major League work was not extensive prior to this year. But those results (4.90 ERA, 8.0 K/9, 4.0 BB/9 over 43 appearances and 13 starts) are a little different than the breakout ace-level he showed prior to his suspension this year (9.7 K/9, 2.1 BB/9). It’s distinctly possible he found something at 25-26 years old, maybe a new level of maturity (both physical and mental) as much as anything.
But that improved performance could also be boosted by the PED he tested positive for, even if Montas made an honest mistake by taking an over-the-counter supplement with a banned substance in it (as he said he did). If the A’s have even a faint thought that a 4.00-plus ERA pitcher with a slightly elevated walk rate is who Montas really is, the idea of trading him would not be outlandish.
Montas has four years of team control left after this year, one year of pre-arbitration and all three years of arbitration-eligibility. Based on how he had pitched this year Oakland might have considered a reasonable contract to buy out those years and give Montas a solid salary bump, but now those years of team control are a selling point for a potential trade chip.
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Any team with a level of interest probably wouldn’t want to give up much to get him, since he essentially won’t be usable the rest of this season and there will be reasonable questions about how he’ll pitch going forward. But Oakland’s front office has to be considering everything with Montas, including moving him and embracing the risk he really is a budding ace and will become one elsewhere.