Yankees news: Frankie Montas trade goes from bad to worse
By Mark Powell
The New York Yankees received more bad injury news regarding trade deadline acquisition Frankie Montas on Wednesday.
This spring, Frankie Montas was essentially a glorified No. 5 starter for the Yankees, but that doesn’t make an injury to the right-handed hurler any easier to take.
New York traded for Montas at the deadline last season, only for him to struggle mightily when they needed him most. In eight starts with New York, Montas had a 6.35 ERA.
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With a chance to press the reset button in spring training, Montas will instead likely miss the entirety of the 2023 season, per manager Aaron Boone. Montas will undergo shoulder surgery.
Right-hander Frankie Montas, the biggest acquisition for the New York Yankees at the trade deadline last year who was expected to be a big part of their rotation this year, will undergo shoulder surgery on Tuesday that could cause him to miss the season, manager Aaron Boone said.
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 15, 2023
Yankees news: Frankie Montas trade is a bad move from Brian Cashman
Fans have every right to be angry with Brian Cashman, who sold Montas as the pitching upgrade the team needed at the trade deadline. Instead, Montas has been an utter disaster, and is set to be an unrestricted free agent in 2024. He’s been a waste of space in New York.
Montas had shoulder issues when New York traded for him, as he was on the injured list with a less serious injury (albeit related to his shoulder) from July 4-20. His injury is just the latest example of an utter trade deadline dumpster fire by Cashman, who failed to improve the team at all last year. That showed, given the Yanks sweep at the hands of the Astros in the ALCS.
As Yanks Go Yard’s Thomas Carranante points out in his column regarding the Montas injury, much of the blame has to fall on the front office for that.
"“The Yankees ended up shattering their minor-league pitching depth with that deal, as well as the Scott Effross trade with the Chicago Cubs and the Andrew Benintendi swap with the Kansas City Royals. What did they get in return? Six starts out of Montas, Tommy John surgery for Effross, and 33 games of Benintendi before he broke his wrist by swinging a baseball bat, something every player is required to do thousands of times per season.”"
It’s unknown who will take Montas’ place in the rotation, as the Yankees will evaluate their options this spring.
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