Oakland A’s trade rumors: A Luis Castillo return for Frankie Montas
The Oakland A’s know what type of return they want for Frankie Montas. It is just a matter of which team decides to pay the price.
According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, the A’s (and Marlins with Pablo Lopez for that matter) are eyeing a return similar to what the Reds received for Luis Castillo. That trade involved a pair of top 100 prospects, three of the Mariners’ top five prospects at the time, and another intriguing prospect as a lottery ticket.
Oakland A’s have set price for Frankie Montas
It makes sense that the A’s would want a similar return. As I noted the other day, that trade set the bar for any return the A’s front office would be looking for. As Montas and Castillo are similar pitchers, a similar trade package should be expected.
The A’s also cannot afford to receive a somewhat underwhelming return. Aside from their trade of Matt Olson, which brought Shea Langeliers into the system, none of their deals brought top talent back. The A’s need to add some impact players in order to build their next core.
Montas is their best chance to do just that. He is the type of pitcher that passes for a workhorse these days, someone who typically takes the ball every fifth day while providing six or seven solid innings. That type of pitcher has a great deal of value, especially as he can also pitch at a top of the rotation level.
The A’s also do not have to trade Montas at the deadline. He is under team control for one more year, so they could look to find a better offer in the offseason if a team does not match what the Reds received for Castillo. The leverage is, currently, on the A’s side.
A's focused on three teams for Montas. dark. Next
The going price for Frankie Montas has been set by the Luis Castillo trade. It should not come as a surprise that the Oakland A’s want a similar deal.