Guardians Should Pursue This Former Ace In Free Agency

Frankie Montas could be a great fit for the Cleveland Guardians' starting rotation.

Aug 14, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas (47) delivers a pitch against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the first inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images / Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

Everyone knows the Cleveland Guardians need more starting pitching to be considered a true World Series contender in 2025.

One possible free-agent option for the Guardians is veteran pitcher Frankie Montas.

Montas split his time between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers during the 2024 season. He posted a 4.84 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, and 4.35 FIP with those two teams.

The 31-year-old isn't nearly the same pitcher he was when he was the ace of the Oakland Athletics from 2019-21, and Montas has had a few injuries since then, too.

Sep 12, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Frankie Montas (47) pitches the ball against the San Francisco Giants during the sixth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

However, he does offer the Guardians something they desperately need, which is consistency.

Cleveland had too many unknowns in their rotation last season.

Pitchers such as Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen each had plenty of upside. But they also showed too many inconsistencies during the first half of the season, and the front office ultimately optioned them to Triple-A.

Gavin Williams will hopefully be back to his healthy self in 2025, but he never seemed to fully recover after missing the first half of the year with an elbow injury.

Montas may give up some runs and baserunners when he takes the mound, but he still gave both the Reds and Brewers some length in the majority of his starts. That length and innings pitched is something that was missing from Cleveland's rotation last year which led to the bullpen being overused at times.

Montas threw 6.0 or more innings in 14 of his 30 starts during the 2024 season.

This production is perfectly fine and exactly what a team should be looking for from a three or four-starter in a rotation, which is what Montas would likely be with the Guardians

Signing Montas shouldn't be the only move Cleveland's front office makes this winter. But it is a low-risk, high-reward move that would address one of their biggest areas of need.