Juan Soto trade could impact Frankie Montas market for Oakland A’s

The trade market for Frankie Montas should be much clearer for the Oakland A’s now. Luis Castillo has been shipped away to Seattle with a package of four prospects, including two on the MLB.com top 100, having been sent to Cincinnati. That is the type of deal it should take for a team to land Montas.

But there is a large shadow over any possible trade. Juan Soto is going to be in demand for any team that is not only contending this year, but expects to compete in the near future as well. Since Soto has two more years of team control left, that opens up majority of the league as a possible suitor.

Juan Soto trade pursuit could impact Frankie Montas

The Nationals are asking for a trade package that would make the Castillo return seem minimal in comparison. It would not be a surprise for multiple top 100 prospects, plus other intriguing minor leaguers, and a young major league arm or two, to be heading to Washington if a move is made.

In at least one case, that pursuit is holding up the A’s plans with Montas. According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, both the A’s and Nationals covet some of the same prospects, complicating trade talks for the time being.

While it seemed as though a Montas trade would happen in relatively short order after Castillo was dealt, that may no longer be the case. The A’s may have to wait until there is some resolution involving Soto, or at least until teams no longer feel that they can pay the prospect cost.

At this point, it is a matter of time until Montas is traded. His next start is more likely to come in a different uniform than the A’s than not. However, it may be a matter of teams waiting to determine if they are still involved with Soto before pivoting to Montas.

The trade market for Frankie Montas is still somewhat murky. The pursuit of Juan Soto is going to impact the Oakland A’s return.