Schedule year 2023 featured Frankie Montas having shoulder surgery in February, videotaping a grand overall of 4 outs at the Big league level, and signing a 1-year, $16 million agreement with the Cincinnati Reds. That latter news went down on Saturday afternoon, as MLB Network's Jon Heyman initially communicated it: Breaking: Frankie Montas goes to Reds-- Jon Heyman December 30, 2023MLB. com's Mark Feinsand later on verified the deal, keeping in mind that Montas will gain $16 million for his single year on the deal. It's a massive gamble for the Reds, though plainly they had been switched off by the silly asking rate for bottles on the trade market throughout their offseason search for a boosted turning Luis Gil Shorts. Montas only supported his 1. 1 IP at the major league degree with 3. 0 IP at the AAA level, and just returned to action during the final week of the baseball period, and while the example was comically small, his 95. 4 typical heater speed was below the 96. 2 miles per hour he averaged in 2022 (and below the 98. 2 miles per hour he averaged mainly as a reliever during his 2017 season with Oakland). While the shoulder problem is clearly what stands out quickly, it deserves highlighting simply how strong Montas was prior to the injury/surgery last winter months. Across the 2021-2022 seasons he was valued at 6. 0 fWAR throughout 331. 1 IP split between Oakland and the New York City Yankees, his 3. 55 FIP and 1. 21 WHIP completely cromulent numbers for a mid-rotation starter most anywhere. He's a bottle who counts heavily on his splitter, something that helped him to an above-average 44. 1% groundball rate during his two newest healthy seasons. If he's at all the pitcher he was throughout the 2021-2022 periods, the monetary gamble is one that ought to be entirely reasonable. The concern, obviously, is the chance cost of authorizing him for a Cincinnati club that normally does not have a robust pile of cash to consider. If assigning this much money to Montas offers as their 'large' purchase of the offseason - and it would definitely show up that holds true - than it can be found in lieu of chasing after someone much more proven, healthier, and extra in-line with the longer term roster the front office has been committed to building. Regardless of cost, chance expense, and risk, the Reds have strongly added another potentially electric arm to their pitching mix for the 2024 period in Montas, also if there remain myriad questions surrounding just how they'll line-up their turning come April.
Anthony Volpe Shorts