As of the last trade deadline, Frankie Montas was a coveted pitcher in MLB. The Athletics starter was, along with Luis Castillo, one of the two big fish on the market among starting gunners.
And when Castillo left (at a big cost) to the Mariners, the Yankees turned to Montas in an effort to make him the club’s #2 starter for the playoffs.
That said, he had a pretty dreadful start to his New York career. In eight starts, he maintained a 6.35 ERA and a WHIP of 1.538. An injury ultimately prevented him from contributing in the playoffs, except in one inning when he allowed a home run.
This year, Montas was supposed to be the Yankees’ fifth starter in an exceptional rotation, but this will not be the case at the start of the season, when we learn today that Montas will miss (at least) the first month of the season in reason for shoulder inflammation.
The 2023 season therefore begins exactly as the 2022 season ended for Montas, who is already two months behind in his preparation for the off-season due to his injury.
In the short term, the absence of Montas is not a disaster given that the Yankees have excellent starting pitchers. Gerrit Cole, Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino and Nestor Cortes Jr. will be the four main starters, and the position of fifth will be the result of a fight between Domingo German and Clarke Schmidt.
However, in the longer term, the Yankees clearly hope that Montas will eventually return in health, but especially in strength. They paid a good price to acquire him and the team hopes to bet on him in the rotation.
He’s less essential this year than he was when he arrived in 2022, but he’s still a pitcher the Yankees would like to rely on.
In short, bad news for Montas, who will once again be on the sidelines at the start of the season. Let’s hope that his absence will not last for several months.
