The Yankees have had interest in a reunion with Frankie Montas for a while, but agent Scott Boras confirms that the team has reached out to inquire about his services. Following a 2023 season where shoulder surgery knocked him out for the majority of the year, the 30-year-old right-hander will have to rebuild his value in 2024, and the Yankees could be a fit. Amid Juan Soto rumors that have names like Michael King and Drew Thorpe pop up as likely candidates to be swapped in a potential blockbuster, Montas could shore up the rotation.
It may be a risk, but the Yankees are certainly interested in bringing back Frankie Montas for the 2024 season.
Frankie Montas Could Rebuild Value With the Yankees
Given that the Yankees are nearing an agreement on a Juan Soto deal, they’re likely to deal some of their pitching depth in the deal. Montas, who had trouble staying on the field but has shown ace-caliber upside, could certainly fit the mold of what the Yankees are looking for in a depth starter. It’s hard to imagine he’d cost much more than former teammate Luis Severino, who signed a one-year $13 million deal with the New York Mets, and the team allowed him to rehab and return for a reason.
One of the biggest issues the Yankees had this past season pertained to staying healthy, and while Montas will certainly have to prove he can stay on the mound again, you can truly never have too much pitching. New York learned this the hard way when they saw their deep pitching staff depleted early into the season, as on Opening Day the trio of Carlos Rodon, Luis Severino, and Frankie Montas all found themselves on the IL. Steamer projects Montas for a 4.08 ERA across 128 innings, and while it’s not elite-level production, the median outcome is strong when evaluated next to the upside.
In 2021, Montas had a 3.37 ERA and struck out 26.6% of batters faced, showing off a deep and dominant pitch mix that included a four-seamer, sinker, splitter, slider, and cutter with all of them grading out as above-average in Stuff+. Injuries did him in, and the Yankees saw a heavy regression in 2022 that led to him spending time on the IL with shoulder issues. For a one-year deal, it wouldn’t hurt to take the flyer, but this doesn’t mean the Yankees aren’t shopping at the top of the market.
The team is interested in signing Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and that’s despite rumors that the Yankees would potentially stay under $300 million. Andy Martino confirms that Yamamoto and Soto, the Yankees will gladly go over the $300 million mark, and it seems their interest in landing a frontline starter is serious. Their crosstown rivals, the New York Mets, have stepped up their interest as team owner Steve Cohen has met with the ace and his family, and teams like the Red Sox, Cubs, Giants, and Dodgers are involved in the bidding as well.
Pitching will become a focal point of the offseason once they land Juan Soto, which could be finalized in hours, as they’ve found the two left-handed outfielders they’re looking for. While not the solution, Frankie Montas could be a low-cost piece of the Yankees’ rotation puzzle.