3 Braves trade rumors that they should turn into a reality

The Braves should trade for A’s SP Frankie Montas

The Atlanta Braves and Oakland A’s are already familiar with each other since the Braves acquired first baseman Matt Olson in March. The trade has worked out well for Atlanta, so why not make another deal for starting pitcher Frankie Montas?

Montas, 29, fits into a similar mold to Castillo as he has been good this year, good in previous years (particularly in 2021), and has controllability through the 2023 season.

For Oakland, Montas has an ERA of 3.53 ERA in an MLB-leading 14 starts. He has a 3.28 FIP, a 1.139 WHIP, and he is averaging 2.2 walks and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings.

The best season of his career came in 2021, when he had a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts with a 3.37 FIP, a 1.182 WHIP, and an average of 2.7 walks and 10.0 strikeouts per nine innings. He came in sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting.

Both Castillo and Montas would be good additions to the rotation, especially since Charlie Morton has struggled and they haven’t had a consistent fifth starter. Spencer Strider has done well in his four starts, but he has also been good in his 11 relief appearances.

By acquiring one or both of Castillo and Montas, Atlanta would lengthen the rotation and provide even more stability in the bullpen — a bullpen that has the third-best ERA (2.92) in baseball entering Monday.

With these moves, the Braves might just be able to become World Series champions again.