The Milwaukee Brewers are currently leading the NL Central but have added a veteran right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas in exchange for outfielder Joey Wiemer and right-handed pitcher Jakob Junis heading to the Cincinnati Reds. This deal accomplishes a lot and is the rare no minor league player trade we have seen so far. Let’s take a closer look at the trade and what both teams are doing by making this move between NL Central foes.
Why did the Milwaukee Brewers trade for Frankie Montas?
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The Milwaukee Brewers have been adding starting pitching to their team ahead of the 2024 MLB Trade Deadline as they have already made a deal with the Tampa Bay Rays for Aaron Civale earlier this month. The Milwaukee Brewers needed pitching and getting Frankie Montas certainly helps them this season eats some innings. So far this year, he is struggling though as he is 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA and a 1.44 WHIP in 93.1 innings over the course of 19 starts. However, he is coming off shoulder surgery where he only threw 41.0 innings since being traded at the 2022 MLB Trade Deadline by the New York Yankees.
As things currently stand with Robert Gasser, DL Hall, Wade Miley, Joe Ross and Brandon Woodruff all injured this is what the Milwaukee Brewers starting rotation looks like at this point:
- Freddy Peralta
- Aaron Civale
- Tobias Myers
- Colin Rea
- Frankie Montas
It’s not exactly murderer’s row but with a six-game lead in the NL Central over the St. Louis Cardinals, it should do and with a few pitchers coming back this season. Montas was one of the best starting pitchers remaining in the trade market and this certainly helps the pitching depth by adding a veteran starter. He has a $20 million mutual option for 2025 with a $2 million buyout so this could be a rental or another year on the deal, depending on the two sides.
Why did the Cincinnati Reds make this deal?
According to Fangraphs, the Cincinnati Reds have a 5.6% chance of making the postseason so this is acquiring future talent for the team at the MLB level while selling a player that bought low on. Mark Feinsand was the first to report on the Reds getting both Jakob Junis and Joey Wiemer. Junis has been pitching well out of the bullpen this season as in 10 games (one start) he is 4-0 with a 2.42 ERA and a 0.96 WHIP in 26.0 innings. Weimer has been splitting time between Triple-A and the Milwaukee Brewers as he has been in the minors since May 26. However, in 151 career games in the majors, he has a .626 OPS with 13 homers.
Wiemer is under team control until 2028, so they get a player they can control while Junis’ contract includes an $8 million mutual option for 2025, which shows he may be a free agent after this year. This deal gets them younger and another outfielder to use. Do not be surprised if this is the only move the Reds make before 6 p.m. ET tomorrow.
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