Could A's Bring Back Frankie Montas?

The Oakland A's traded starter Frankie Montas during the 2022 campaign. After an injury-filled 2023, could he return on a short-term deal?

I know what you're thinking: "The A's don't spend money!" I get it. But even when the team wasn't spending money in 2023, they still found room in the budget for a few free agent signings that cost a little cash. Trevor May signed for one year and $7 million, Aledmys Díaz for two years and $14.5 million, and Jace Peterson for two years and $9.5 million. 

Frankie Montas is set to hit the market, and after an injury riddled season with the Yankees, a familiar place where he can prove his value once more makes a decent amount of sense. 

Think of it this way. After throwing just 1 1/3 innings in 2023, he's going to be looking for a short-term deal with a club, potentially even a one-year deal, in order to work towards a bigger payday when he can hit free agency again. In his time with the A's he held a 3.70 ERA across six seasons and in his final two seasons with the club he posted ERAs of 3.37 and 3.18. The Coliseum is also a notorious pitcher's park with lots of foul ground, which would inflate his statistics. 

The A's would be getting a veteran pitcher that has had success in Oakland, while also adding a pitcher of his potential to a young staff still trying to find their way at the Major League level that would be beneficial to the more inexperienced players. 

Plus, if it works out, the A's could trade him again at the Deadline and grab a couple more Double-A pitchers with command issues. The Montas/Lou Trivino trade is one of the few that the A's have made in the past two seasons that has actually worked out well for Oakland, netting them Luis Medina, Ken Waldichuk, and JP Sears. All three figure to be in the rotation mix in 2024 and beyond. 

The A's ranked 29th in team ERA this season, and when you account for park factors, Colorado moves ahead of Oakland, moving the A's to dead last. Yes, the A's have a number of young pitchers that could use a look like Mason Miller, Joe Boyle, Joey Estes, and Hogan Harris, and a couple of them could still crack the rotation in addition to Sears, Waldichuk, Medina and Paul Blackburn. Medina will be out of options, so he likely gets a spot due to that unless he's used as trade bait. 

Miller could also be converted into a bullpen weapon in an effort to protect his arm and build up his innings, with his return to the rotation under consideration after a healthy season. Kind of like how the A's did with A.J. Puk before trading him to the Miami Marlins at the beginning of the year.

Honestly, the A's could sign Montas, trade Blackburn, and probably save a little money in the process. Blackburn is projected for $3.2 million in 2024, and Montas may be amenable to an incentive-laden deal that starts around $3 million. 

The A's are likely to be out on a number of free agents this winter as they are every offseason, but they do love a reunion, they love buying low, and they love guys that can be flipped at the deadline. Montas checks every single box, and it wouldn't break the bank to sign him.