Wednesday, February 8, 2023

The whispers are growing that Frankie Montas could be a 2023 washout

Never listen to the rumor mill. For starters, it is a bastard. It drinks too much, shouts obscenities at squirrels and then, later, denies everything. You tell yourself to ignore it. He's just the rumor mill, you say. It's Rep. George Santos, on Ambien, in drag, playing truth or dare, hand on the Bible phone book, pretending to be Charles Ponzi. It doesn't matter... 

But still, you hear the whispers...

Lately, the mill has been gobbling about Frankie Montas, who came last August to fill the No. 2 slot in the Yank rotation. It's been suggesting that Montas' enflamed shoulder will sideline him far longer than the month of April, as the Yankees say. It's claiming that Montas might need shoulder surgery, which would mean the 60-day DL, a veritable No-Fly List for pitchers. If so, Montas could miss the rest of the Biden administration and settle, once and for all, the argument that Brian Cashman last August engineered the worst set of deadline trades in his, or perhaps any GM's, career. 

The Yanks traded four prospects to Oakland for a No. 2 starter with a 3.18 ERA over 104 innings. They received a recurring meltdown, a 6.35 ERA, and their second Sonny Gray - a late summer acquisition that couldn't make the postseason roster. And now here's our friend, Mr. Rumor Mill - tongue bloated with gin - pattering that Montas might never even throw another pitch for the Death Barge. 

At right is a list of Frankie Montas' statistical doppelgangers, compiled on Baseball Reference. I offer it to make one point: At this stage of his career, age 30, Montas is a nobody masquerading as a nonentity. He is Merrill Kelly. He is Vance Worley. He is Leniel Hooker. Dear God, he's the reincarnation of Steve Swetonic! Yes, he's the Tonic! 

So, in the name of Ross Stripling and Yordano Ventura, we're suddenly back to penciling in Domingo German and/or the bullpen every fifth day. Let's appreciate that Hal Steinbrenner spent heavily on Carlos Rodon. But last night, as crazy Uncle Joe kept sputtering, "FINNNNNISH THE JOB!" he might as well have been the ghost of old George, yelling at his son over the Ouija board.

This doesn't count that the Yankees gave up JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk, both of whom look like future rotational cogs. Or that we'll pay Montas $7.5 million this year. Or that next winter, he's a free agent. Yeesh. For the trade to be worse, Cashman would have had to throw in a $1 million Best Buy gift card. 

Ah, but it's only the rumor mill, right? Ignore it, right? Hey, Rollie Sheldon had his moments, no?

10 comments:

Mildred Lopez said...


As I thought. The bald biscuit is no doubt on long distance with the Twins as I type inquiring about the availability of Sonny Gray. Minnesota will ask for only Brito and Beeter, Cashman will offer Volpe if the Twins will include Gallo, all our problems will be solved, and the media will swoon. Mission accomplished!

Clear out more of those annoying pitching prospects? Check
Bring in a veteran arm to "get us over the hump"? Check
Complete the Gallo-Beeter-Beeter-Gallo circle? Check, check, and check

Eddhall69 said...

It's time to let up on Ca$hman. Do you ungrateful troglodytes realize that under Ca$hman's rule they have one WS. The team has make the playoffs every year. And he has done this with Hal limiting him to spending $250m a year. How is this man not a national treasure? Plus like out esteemed President, he has handed out money to unfortunates like A. Hicks, L. Severino, J Donaldson, C. Pavano, J.Elsbury, P. Feliciano and untold others. Lay off this great American.

BTR999 said...

A child could see that Montas was a questionable acquisition simply by looking at his splits away from the Oakland Mausoleum. I suspect that Montas will return at some point this season, as he has to establish his bona fides as a F/A for 2024. No one can say precisely when, but it’s a sure bet it won’t be May 1st. Since Cashman was rewarded for the ruination he visited on this franchise last deadline with a new contract, it seems certain the arrogant little prick will be here for life, unless we are living in in a Bizarro World scenario where he will be fired after we win a World Series. Double Happiness!

edb said...

He is a washout and a stiff, just like the GM who brought him in.

The Hammer of God said...

@Mildred Lopez I was thinking the exact same thing! Ass-man will bring back Sonny Gray for a second helping. God help us!

I was on the record that we didn't need to bring in other teams's garbage and trade away our best pitching prospects. So that's exactly what Ass-man did, he traded away the two W's and Sears. He kept Clarke Schmidt, but it looks like he kept the worst prospect. Schmidt might turn out to be a serviceable major leaguer, but he doesn't look special. The guys he gave up might be special.

@borntorun999 Cashman will be here until he is forced to retire because he has developed senile dementia. That won't be for another quarter century at least.

JM said...

Is Ed Whitson still around? Maybe we could get Vernon Worley.

And if that falls through, maybe we can get Jo Anne Worley. I hear she knows some good chicken jokes.

Rufus T. Firefly said...

Ca$hole just set himself up for another great midseason trade. The entire farm system for Yu Darvish/Aaron Nola (take your pick), who will instantly need Tommy John surgery.

The Archangel said...

The only thing that will hurt is if either of the pitchers we traded become # 3 or #4 in someone's rotation.
This won't otherwise hurt if what you say is accurate because Montas simply will not pitch enough for the Yanks to be burned into our psyche like Sonny was.
Watching Gray pitch was like the strapped down torture scene in A Clockwork Orange.

Doctor T said...

I see Fangraphs predicts that A's to have have two Yankee castoffs listed in their rotation, James Kaprielian (2nd) and Ken Waldichuk (5th). Either one would be better than Montas.

I should note that Kaprielian was traded along with Dustin Fowler and Jorge Mateo for, you guessed it, Sonny Gray.

Someone needs to block David Forst's number on Cashman's phone. He's like Lucy and the football for the World's Greatest Intern.

DickAllen said...


I've run out of expletives.