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The Reds have agreed to a take care of free-agent righty Frankie Montas, in accordance with Jon Heyman of the New York Put up. Heyman reported that Montas would obtain someplace within the vary of $15M-$16M on the one-year deal, and USA Today’s Bob Nightengale provides that the wage is certainly $16M. Montas is represented by the Boras Company.
With Nick Martinez signed to a two-year, $26M deal final month, Montas is the second Boras consumer to hitch Cincinnati’s rotation combine. Whereas Martinez may nonetheless issue into the Reds’ bullpen plans, Montas is extra of a clear-cut starter, assuming that he’s again to full well being after a misplaced 2023 season.
The Reds’ projected rotation of Hunter Greene, Andrew Abbott, Graham Ashcraft and Nick Lodolo have quite a lot of potential but additionally quite a lot of damage questions and never quite a lot of massive league expertise. Because of this, the Reds had been recognized to be searching for beginning pitching assist this winter, and so they have been linked to a big selection of names on each the free-agent and commerce fronts. A commerce has all the time gave the impression to be the likeliest route for pitching assist given Cincinnati’s wealth of minor league depth, but the Reds have additionally been linked to such free brokers as Seth Lugo, Yariel Rodriguez, and previous good friend Sonny Gray.
Grey’s title may linger within the background of at the moment’s signing, because the Reds would absolutely like to see Montas replicate Grey as a starter who bought again on monitor in Cincinnati after struggling within the Bronx. After ending sixth in AL Cy Younger Award voting with the A’s in 2021, Montas continued to pitch nicely in 2022 and was one of many extra sought-after pitchers on the commerce deadline. Oakland in the end moved Montas to the Yankees as a part of a six-player trade, but issues went haywire for Montas virtually as quickly because the deal was accomplished.
Montas struggled to a 6.35 ERA over eight begins and 39 2/3 innings for the Yankees, as he tried to pitch through some shoulder issues that bothered him previous to the commerce. He spent a while on the injured listing because of shoulder irritation, which sadly set the stage for his nightmare of a 2023 marketing campaign. The precise-hander ended up present process labrum cleanup surgical procedure in February and pitched in only one recreation (1 1/3 innings on September 30) final yr, a minimum of giving himself some peace of thoughts health-wise as he entered the offseason.
The Yankees felt adequate about Montas’ shoulder that they had some interest in re-signing him this winter, but Montas will now head to Cincinnati for a contemporary begin. His deal virtually precisely matched the one-year, $15M pact that MLB Commerce Rumors projected for Montas in our top 50 free agents list, with Montas sitting forty fourth within the rating. If $16M appears excessive for a pitcher who principally missed a complete season, the value tag speaks to the excessive value of pitching, and the potential upside Montas brings if he’s again to his previous self.
Montas confirmed flashes of his high quality in posting a 3.13 ERA over 161 innings for Oakland through the 2018-19 seasons, but the latter season was minimize brief by an 80-game PED suspension. He additionally struggled through the pandemic-shortened 2020 marketing campaign earlier than delivering his first full top-tier season in 2021, with a 3.37 ERA and solidly above-average strikeout and stroll charges over 187 innings.
Naturally there’s some danger for the Reds on this deal, as $16M is a giant expenditure for a group with a mid-level payroll and Montas isn’t a positive factor. Nonetheless, the danger is a minimum of considerably lowered as only a one-year splurge, plus Montas might need some further worth if he does return to his previous kind. Ought to Montas pitch nicely, the Reds may subject him a qualifying supply subsequent winter, and thus internet a compensatory draft choose if Montas signed elsewhere. Or, in fact, Montas and the Reds may find yourself understanding a longer-term contract themselves relying on how issues play out in 2024.
Cincinnati’s payroll sits slightly below the $103M mark after this signing, in accordance with Roster Resource. Contemplating that the Reds topped the $126M payroll mark as just lately as 2021 earlier than their temporary rebuild interval, president of baseball operations Nick Krall might need a bit of additional spending capability in what has already been a busy winter. Along with Montas and Martinez, the Reds additionally signed Jeimer Candelario to a three-year, $45M deal, and reliever Emilio Pagan for 2 years and $16M. Cincinnati already emerged from its rebuild with an 82-win season in 2023 and now appears to be like to problem for the NL Central title, with these veteran signings buoying the membership’s thrilling core of younger expertise.
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