Oakland Athletics: Review of the Frankie Montas Trade

On August 1st, 2022, Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino were traded to the New York Yankees in return for Cooper Bowman, Luis Medina, JP Sears, and Ken Waldichuk. So far, this trade hasn't looked the best for the Yankees and could help the Athletics massively with their rebuild.

Frankie Montas to Yankees

Since the trade, Frankie Montas has only pitched 39.2 innings in just 8 starts in 2022. In those 39.2 innings, he held a record of 1-3 with an ERA of 6.35 and a bWAR of -0.7. There isn't much you can say about Montas besides he's been a massive disappointment for the Yankees, who hoped to make a playoff run once acquiring him. His last game with the Yankees could have been in the 2022 ALCS versus the Astros, in which he pitched 1 inning, giving up a solo home run and had one strikeout. It now seems unlikely the Yankees will want to re-sign him once fully recovered from injury.

Lou Trivino to Yankees

Trivino was also traded to the Yankees and has been the best part of this trade so far. Once fully healthy, he could make a run to become the Yankees' closer or at least a dominant bullpen arm. On May 2nd, 2023, it was announced Trivino had to get Tommy John surgery. Some players can come back from Tommy John quicker, so it could take him anywhere from 8 to 16 months to recover and return to action. He is turning 32 and only has a year left on his contract, so he will need to return from injury possibly around the start or middle of the 2024 season, then do well enough to earn a new contract. Unlike Frankie Montas, Lou Trivino thrived in 2022 with the Yankees, with a record of 1-2 and an ERA of 1.66 in 21.2 innings. He went on to play in the postseason that year with the Yankees, in which he threw 3.2 shutout innings, including 4 strikeouts and only giving up 2 hits and a walk.

Cooper Bowman to Athletics

In 2023, Cooper Bowman has played in 71 games, being placed on the Injured List multiple times in 2023 while playing between Double-A and Rookie-Ball to rehab. In those 71 games, he hit .265 with 8 home runs and 37 RBIs, with an OBP of .364 and OPS of .801. While he hasn't been the most dominant, he has shown potential to be a dynamic player who can play multiple positions, including second base and shortstop, but has also played at least 1 inning at third base and centerfield.

Luis Medina to Athletics

Luis Medina has pitched in 95 innings in the 2023 MLB season, which was accumulated over 20 games, in which he started 15 of them. He has struggled with a record of 3-9 and an ERA of 5.68. He has a pitch arsenal of 5, which includes a 4-Seam Fastball, a Slider, a Sinker, a Curveball, and a Changeup. His best pitch has been his Curveball, which he has used 11.9% of the time, with a batting average against of .139. This pitch has been used as his strikeout pitch. In 38 plate appearances with his curveball, he has a strikeout percentage of 47.4%. His worst pitch has been his 4-Seam Fastball, which has been hit quite often, with a batting average of .286. He uses it at a rate of 43% of the time, which means if he reduces his usage of it, he could thrive by using other pitches instead.

Ken Waldichuk to Athletics

Ken Waldichuk may not be the most dominant pitcher, but he's been an inning eater in 2023. He has played in 32 games, in which he started 20 of them, also holding a record of 3-7 with a 5.14 ERA. In 126 innings in 2023, he has struck out 120 while also walking 68, at a rate of 8.6 strikeouts per 9 innings and also 4.9 walks per 9 innings. He has struggled with giving up walks, but in his most recent start with the Athletics, he has turned things around, pitching 6 shutout innings with no hits and only 1 walk, with 3 strikeouts, on only 67 pitches versus the Astros. In his last 7 games, he has pitched in 37.2 innings with a record of 1-0, in which the team went 3-4. He held an ERA of 1.91 while also only letting batters hit .210. He has recently started to have a turn-around, and now only time will show how bad this trade is for the Yankees.