New Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas was surprised by his trade this week because he thought his recent poor performance would keep contenders from showing interest in him.
Montas had given up 16 runs in 16 innings over his last three starts with the Cincinnati Reds. Despite this, the Brewers acquired him, hoping he could provide some stability to their rotation, which has struggled to pitch deep into games.
“It’s always good when you see teams out there wanting you and believing in you,” Montas said Wednesday after the Brewers officially activated him. “I’m definitely excited.”
To make room for Montas, the Brewers sent left-hander Tyler Jay to Triple-A Nashville. The Brewers had obtained Montas from the Reds at the trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Jakob Junis and outfielder Joey Wiemer.
This trade moves Montas from a losing team to the top team in the NL Central. The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to make his debut with the Brewers on Friday at Washington.
“He fits in really well with the type of player we were looking for,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “Really good pedigree. Has pitched in the postseason, checks a lot of boxes for us.”
The Brewers need extra depth in their rotation as they aim for their second consecutive division title.
Milwaukee has had an MLB-leading 16 different pitchers start games this season. Before Wednesday, the Brewers had a league-low 507 2/3 innings from their starting pitchers.
To strengthen their rotation, the Brewers brought in Montas and Aaron Civale, who was acquired from Tampa Bay on July 3. Civale has gone 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA in four starts for Milwaukee.
Montas, who was the Reds’ Opening Day starter, has a record of 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings. He had signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Reds after pitching just one game last season for the New York Yankees while recovering from labrum surgery.
