Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas was cruising along this summer, building big value ahead of baseball's Aug. 2 trade deadline.
He topped most everybody’s list of best available hurlers this summer. Then he reached back for his fastball Sunday at Seattle and couldn’t find it.
With his velocity lagging, he left his start against the Mariners after just one inning. That triggered alarms in an already underwhelming marketplace for rotation help.
Current demand exceeds supply, by a lot, and this development does not help.
"I’m always sore," Montas told reporters. "Usually I’ll go out there and pitch and it gets better. But my velo has never been down. I felt like the best thing was to come out of this game and take a better look at it."
In their dream scenario, the Cardinals would add another top-of-the-rotation starter who could match up against a Corbin Burnes or a Brandon Woodruff in a must-win game.
But starters with swing-and-miss stuff are not readily available for delivery from Amazon, like 10-pound crates of jumbo beef franks or 5-gallon buckets of dill pickles.
And the Cardinals have considerable competition from other potential buyers, including the Milwaukee Brewers, Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, Los Angeles Dodgers and San Francisco Giants.
Hence the focus on Montas, despite his 3-9 record. He has a 3.26 ERA through 17 starts and 96 2/3 innings with 100 strikeouts and 1.09 WHIP.
The A’s are in tank-and-rebuild mode, so they are selling. They are driving down attendance at deteriorating Ring Central Stadium (essentially a landfill with seats) while campaigning for a new ballpark.
Because Montas is under team control through next season, the A’s are seeking a huge return for him. The Cardinals have notable high-end talent in their farm system and their depth has improved as the summer progressed.
Cardinal fans have been constructing hypothetical trade packages for Montas for weeks. ESPN’s Buster Olney threw more fuel on that speculation by naming the Cardinals as the favorite to land him.
But Frankie’s setback reminds us of the inherent risk contending teams face when trading for pitching help. Also, it underscores the risk tanking teams take while clinging to pitching assets until right before the trade deadline to drive up the price.
Beyond Montas, the likely trade targets include veterans who could help stabilize a rotation, but not transform it. The Cardinals would welcome some stability with Jack Flaherty shut down, Dakota Hudson searching for his old sinker, Steven Matz trying to rebuild shoulder strength and rookie Matthew Liberatore learning tough lessons via trial and error.
The Cincinnati Reds have been drawing interest for Luis Castillo for some time. Like Montas, he offers an additional season of team control. Similarly, the Reds could move Tyler Mahle, who could improve after escaping the Great American Band Box.
Jose Quintana (Pittsburgh Pirates), Michael Pineda (Detroit Tigers), Zack Greinke (Kansas City Royals), Madison Bumgarner (Arizona Diamondbacks) and Jordan Lyles (Baltimore Orioles) also come to mind as guys who could provide the sort of support J.A. Happ gave the Cardinals last season.
Martin Perez has more electric stuff, but the Texas Rangers would be smart to keep him as part of their rebuild. The same goes for former Cardinals prospect Zac Gallen, who is a key building block for the Diamondbacks.
ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball crew suggested Noah Syndergaard, since the hapless Los Angeles Angels could wave the white flag.
Maybe some better starter targets could emerge as more teams fall far behind in the playoff race this month. Pablo Lopez could yield a nice offensive return for the Miami Marlins, for instance.
The Cardinals could use additional relief help, too, and the bullpen market is deeper. Scott Barlow (Royals), David Bednar (Pirates), Joe Jimenez (Detroit Tigers), Gregory Soto (ditto), David Robertson (Chicago Cubs), Diego Castillo (Seattle Mariners), Jorge Lopez (Orioles), Alex Colome (Colorado Rockies) and Daniel Bard (ditto) are potential targets. Ian Kennedy (Diamondbacks) could be one too, if he recovers quickly from a calf muscle strain he suffered Sunday.
The Cardinals are building talent surpluses that can’t all be squeezed onto the 40-man roster. First baseman Malcom Nunez is one example, given his June power surge at Double-A Springfield.
Outfielder Alec Burleson is another. He has starred at Triple-A Memphis this season after a rapid organizational rise, but the Cardinals are overstocked at that position when healthy.
The Cardinals have lots of young pitching trending the right way, including Andre Pallante, Zack Thompson, Johan Oviedo, Junior Fernandez, Gordon Graceffo and Michael McGreevy. They have better trade leverage now than they had in the spring.
But don’t expect John Mozeliak and Co. to find a magic wand solution with trades so big that you will shout “Plan the parade!” There is nothing otherworldly about this pitching marketplace this summer.
