NEW YORK — An old Yankees deadline deal is drawing fresh attention at a moment when the club is again confronting the cost of decisions that failed to deliver in October.
The 2022 acquisition was supposed to strengthen a rotation built for a long postseason run. Instead, it became a reminder that a pitcher’s track record elsewhere offers no guarantee of success in the Bronx.
New York surrendered four prospects in that transaction. The anticipated rotation upgrade barely had time to establish himself before injuries intervened, leaving a large gap between the price paid and the innings received.
Four years later, the pitcher at the center of the trade is outside the major leagues. His latest public appearance has revived discussion of his time with the Yankees, although it provides no indication that a reunion is being considered.
The distinction matters. A former player’s social media activity can attract attention without becoming a roster development, particularly when the Yankees face another offseason of decisions about pitching depth and durability.
Trade bust shares brief Instagram message
Frankie Montas, the right-hander acquired from the Athletics in August 2022, posted a short message on Instagram this week. It appeared while the 33-year-old remained unsigned following his release by the New York Mets last November.
Montas framed the post around personal effort, rather than a new team or a specific return date. He wrote:
“Zero Excuses AND hard work 🙏🏾”
The five-word message attracted responses from users focused on the cap he was wearing. Some commenters questioned the Yankees connection, underscoring how closely his brief stint in pinstripes remains associated with an unsuccessful deadline gamble.
No signing, workout arrangement or interest from the Yankees was announced in connection with the post. Nor did Montas identify a club or timetable for a return to a major league mound.
Four prospects yielded 41 innings in the Bronx
The Yankees sent left-handers JP Sears and Ken Waldichuk, right-hander Luis Medina and infielder Cooper Bowman to Oakland for Montas and reliever Lou Trivino on Aug. 1, 2022, according to MLB’s transaction record.
Montas made eight starts for the Yankees in 2022, posting a 1-3 record and a 6.35 ERA over 39 2/3 innings. He returned for one relief outing in 2023, covering 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Combined, those nine regular-season appearances produced a 2-3 record, a 6.15 ERA and only 41 innings. The figures mean the Yankees received an average of fewer than five innings per appearance from the pitcher acquired to help stabilize their starting rotation.
That 41-inning total offers a more precise measure of the transaction than wins and losses alone. New York spent four prospects on a pitcher whose health prevented him from assuming the workload expected of a frontline deadline acquisition.
Montas also made one postseason appearance for New York in 2022. Shoulder trouble later required surgery, effectively eliminating his chance to change the narrative during the 2023 season.
Recent Mets struggles deepen uncertainty
Montas resumed a fuller starting role in 2024 with Cincinnati and Milwaukee, recording 150 2/3 innings across 30 starts with a combined 4.84 ERA. That workload gave him a route back to a significant major league role after his injury-interrupted Yankees years.
The Mets signed him before the 2025 season, but a right lat strain delayed his debut. He eventually appeared in nine games, seven of them starts, and finished 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA in 38 2/3 innings, according to Baseball-Reference’s season record.
The numbers reveal a difficult pattern across his two New York stops. Montas pitched 79 2/3 regular-season innings combined for the Yankees and Mets, surrendering 55 earned runs. That works out to a 6.21 ERA, calculated from his recorded innings and earned runs.
Those results do not erase his earlier success with Oakland, where he went 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 16 starts in 2019. They do, however, explain why a motivational social media post alone cannot resolve questions about his effectiveness or durability.
Free-agent status remains unchanged
Montas has not appeared in the majors during the 2026 season. MLB’s player transaction history records his release by the Mets on Nov. 19, 2025, and the latest available reporting identifies him as a free agent.
For the Yankees, the new post changes neither the original trade assessment nor the team’s current pitching plans. There has been no reported contract agreement or confirmed interest linking New York to a second stint with Montas.
The next substantive development would be a signing, a documented throwing opportunity or another team announcement. Until then, the message is a statement of determination from an unsigned veteran whose most memorable Yankees chapter remains the deadline deal that never paid off.
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