Frankie Montas nightmare latest bad Yankees’ trade with A’s

Jon Heyman

MLB

From Jon Heyman

February 16, 2023 | 8:38 p.m

Initial medical evaluation of Frankie Montas’ MRI scan suggested he should be able to get over his shoulder ailment, so the Yankees were surprised he ended up requiring surgery. What shouldn’t come as a surprise is that another trade involving the almost-pulled Oakland A’s didn’t turn out the way they wanted.

The Yankees haven’t had a great history trading A’s pitchers lately, so I wasn’t surprised when a Yankees manager suggested they never trade the A’s again. But really, it’s not just the A’s. Getting back to the infamous Ed Whitson situation, there’s a long history of successful pitchers who came off smaller teams only to flop in the Bronx.

Montas hurts – although the initial doctor’s report brought hope, he kept reporting discomfort when throwing – but there’s something about pinstripe throwing. Carl Pavano and Javier Vazquez (who somehow came twice) from Montreal were pretty good elsewhere. But last year’s Oakland, while technically not a small market, now has to be New York’s worst testing ground. Sonny Gray is excellent everywhere but New York

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman doesn’t see it that way, saying it’s “hard to ignore the scouting ratings” — which, in fairness, has to be the main consideration.

And Cashman also pointed out via text, “Pedro Martinez came from Montreal … so not sure how avoiding good pitching makes sense.”

It wouldn’t be easy to avoid the small markets either, as teams in smaller markets are more willing to trade more experienced shooters. (Of course, high-revenue teams are better equipped to hold on to the best assets).

It’s also really hard to blame the Yankees’ front office on this one as they made a reasonable effort for Reds star Luis Castillo by offering Jasson Dominguez at one point and there weren’t many options. (Although Cincinnati actually plays in a smaller market, it has a much larger following than the A’s; pretty much everyone). The Reds originally wanted both Anthony Volpe and Oswald Peraza, who are the Yankees’ two top picks, but eventually preferred a Mariners package that included shortstop Noelvi Marte and pitcher Edwin Arroyo. What hurts is that Castillo starred in Seattle and even signed a team-friendly contract to stay there.

In a narrow field (they turned down Pablo Lopez and Miami’s Miguel Rojas for Gleyber Torres and Peraza), going after Montas was logical next. There were some concerns about his shoulder, but so did Castillo. Montas’ resume didn’t look quite as good as Castillo’s, but it was very good.

Blame it on bad luck. But take the A’s off that speed dial.