3 Yankees players we’re glad are gone, 2 we wish had stayed

1. It was time for the Yankees to move on from Frankie Montas

The Frankie Montas trade looked like a great one at the time. The Yankees held onto their best prospects and were able to get one of the better starters in the AL at the time who had more than one year of team control. Some things just aren't meant to be, unfortunately.

Montas struggled down the stretch after being acquired by the Yankees, posting a 6.35 ERA in eight starts and 39.2 innings of work. It got so bad to the point where the right-hander was used as a reliever in the playoffs and made just one appearance all postseason.

A shoulder injury ahead of the 2023 campaign knocked him out for nearly the entire season. It was one of many big blows the Yankees had to deal with this past season. Montas wound up returning in Game 161, recording four outs in relief. Montas made just nine appearances in a Yankees uniform. Not at all what they had expected.

Despite recording just four outs this past season, Montas wound up fetching a contract worth $16 million for the 2024 season. Good for him, but makes perfect sense that the Yankees would pass on that. He's a great bounceback candidate, but who knows if it would've happened here. Some players just aren't meant to succeed in New York, and from the looks of things he might be one of those guys.