Frankie Montas Overview
Francelis Montas Luna, born on March 21, 1993, is a Dominican professional baseball pitcher who is currently a free agent. He has played for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees, Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers, and New York Mets during his Major League Baseball career. Montas signed as an international free agent with the Boston Red Sox in 2009 and made his major league debut in 2015 after being traded to the White Sox. Throughout his career, Montas has shown flashes of dominant pitching, including a sixth-place finish in American League Cy Young Award voting in 2021.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Montas hails from the Dominican Republic and signed with the Boston Red Sox as an international free agent in 2009, receiving a seventy-five thousand dollar signing bonus. He developed in the Red Sox minor league system, playing for organizations including the Gulf Coast League Red Sox, Lowell Spinners, and Greenville Drive through 2013. Montas attended Dawere International High School, graduating in 2024, and built a reputation as a hard-throwing right-handed pitcher during his early minor league seasons.
Before the 2013 trade deadline, the Red Sox traded Montas and fellow minor leaguers to the Chicago White Sox in a three-team deal that also involved the Detroit Tigers. The White Sox assigned him to the Kannapolis Intimidators to continue his development. Montas began the 2014 season with the Winston-Salem Dash of the High-A Carolina League and earned a selection to the All-Star Futures Game before a meniscus injury required surgery and sidelined him.
After recovering from knee surgery, Montas returned to pitch for the Birmingham Barons of the Double-A Southern League and finished 2014 with a combined five-and-zero record and a 1.44 earned run average across two levels. The White Sox added him to their forty-man roster after the season to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. Montas threw his fastball between ninety-eight and one hundred miles per hour during his first major league spring training, signaling the raw power that would define his arsenal.
Ascent in Major League Baseball
The White Sox promoted Montas to the major leagues on September 2, 2015, making his debut as a relief pitcher. He was traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers after the 2015 season, though rib surgery in early 2016 sidelined him for much of that year. The Dodgers traded Montas to the Oakland Athletics in August 2016, and he began to establish himself as a major league starter in 2017. Over the next six seasons in Oakland, Montas developed into one of the Athletics most reliable pitchers.
Montas reverted to a starting role for the 2018 season, beginning at the Triple-A level before appearing in thirteen games for the Athletics. He reached new heights in 2019, starting the season nine-and-two with a 2.70 earned run average across fifteen starts before an eighty-game suspension for testing positive for the banned substance ostarine interrupted his momentum. Montas rebounded in the shortened 2020 season and delivered the best year of his career in 2021 with a thirteen-and-nine record, a 3.37 earned run average, and two hundred seven strikeouts in one hundred eighty-seven innings.
Frankie Montas Competitive Journey
Montas career has spanned six Major League Baseball organizations over ten seasons, marked by periods of elite production and recurring injury setbacks. His journey from a minor league prospect signed for seventy-five thousand dollars to a mid-rotation staple and trade target at the highest level reflects both his talent and the volatility of a pitching career.
Early MLB Seasons and Development (2015–2016)
Montas made his major league debut with the Chicago White Sox on September 2, 2015, appearing as a relief pitcher at twenty-two years old. The White Sox traded him to the Los Angeles Dodgers after that season, and he entered 2016 as one of Los Angeles most promising young arms. However, rib resection surgery in February 2016 sidelined him for up to four months, and a broken rib later that season extended his absence further, preventing him from making a meaningful impact in the majors that year.
Breakthrough with the Oakland Athletics (2017–2022)
The Athletics acquired Montas from the Dodgers on August 1, 2016, and he began to establish himself as a major league starter during the 2017 season, appearing in twenty-three games and recording his first career win. Montas transitioned fully into a starting role in 2018, compiling a five-and-four record with a 3.88 earned run average across eleven starts. The 2019 season brought his first true breakout, as he raced to a nine-and-two record with a 2.70 earned run average before the eighty-game suspension for a positive drug test halted his season in late June.
Montas returned as the Athletics Opening Day starter in 2020 but struggled with command, finishing with a three-and-five record and a 5.60 earned run average in eleven starts. He put 2020 behind him and delivered his finest season in 2021, finishing sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting behind a thirteen-and-nine record, 3.37 earned run average, and two hundred seven strikeouts. Montas signed a five million twenty-five thousand dollar contract with Oakland in March 2022 to avoid salary arbitration before the Athletics traded him to the New York Yankees at the deadline that same season.
Recent Years and Current Direction (2022–Present)
Montas made eight starts for the Yankees in 2022, posting a one-and-three record and a 6.35 earned run average while adjusting to a new organization midseason. Right shoulder inflammation sidelined him at the start of 2023, and arthroscopic surgery in February 2023 caused him to miss the majority of that season. Montas was activated from the injured list on September 30, 2023, and became a free agent following the season.
Montas signed a one-year, fourteen million dollar contract with the Cincinnati Reds on January 2, 2024, and was named their Opening Day starter. He made nineteen starts for Cincinnati, going four-and-eight with a 5.01 earned run average before being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers on July 30, 2024. Montas posted a three-and-three record with a 4.55 earned run average in eleven starts for Milwaukee before declining his 2025 option and returning to free agency. On December 4, 2024, he signed a two-year, thirty-four million dollar contract with the New York Mets that included a player option for 2026, but a high-grade lat strain in February 2025 sidelined him for six to eight weeks before he was activated in late June.
Pitching Philosophy and Competitive Strengths
Montas relies on a high-velocity fastball and a diverse secondary arsenal to work through major league lineups. His best seasons have come when he commands his fastball consistently and uses his breaking pitches to set up hitters in two-strike counts. Montas has shown the ability to pitch deep into games and rack up strikeouts when healthy, as his 207-strikeout 2021 campaign demonstrated. His primary challenge has been maintaining the physical durability needed to stay on the mound for a full season, as injuries to his ribs, shoulder, and elbow have repeatedly interrupted his momentum.
Key Milestones and Major Moments
Montas first career win came in 2017 during his initial sustained run in the Oakland Athletics rotation. His selection to the All-Star Futures Game in 2014 marked him as one of baseball top prospects before injuries derailed his early trajectory. His 2021 season stands as the definitive peak of his career, earning him sixth place in American League Cy Young Award voting and validating his place among the best pitchers in the sport. Montas has faced significant adversity including an eighty-game drug suspension in 2019 and multiple major surgeries to his shoulder and elbow.
Frankie Montas Achievements and Results
Montas has built an eleven-year Major League Baseball career spanning six organizations, with a career win-loss record of forty-seven and forty-eight, a 4.20 earned run average, and seven hundred ninety-two strikeouts. His most productive stretch came with the Athletics from 2017 through mid-2022, during which he emerged as a top-of-the-rotation starter and earned his first career All-Star selection. Montas has been traded five times over the course of his career and has played for six different Major League Baseball teams.
Major League Baseball Career Highlights
Montas career earned run average of 4.20 and strikeout total of seven hundred ninety-two reflect a pitcher who has consistently performed at the major league level despite injury interruptions. His first major league victory came during the 2017 season with the Athletics, the team with which he found his greatest stability and success. Montas reached his career peak in 2021 when he finished sixth in American League Cy Young Award voting, becoming only the second Oakland Athletics pitcher to finish in the top ten since 2015. He has been named an All-Star and has started Opening Day games for multiple franchises during his career.
Oakland Athletics Years (2017–2022)
Montas tenure with the Athletics was the most successful and sustained chapter of his career, spanning six partial and full seasons. He emerged as the Athletics most reliable starter in 2018 and 2019, earning his first All-Star selection and establishing himself as a legitimate number two pitcher on a playoff-caliber roster. His 2021 season produced career highs across every major statistical category and represented the clearest validation of his talent at the highest level of professional baseball.
New York Yankees Years (2022–2023)
Montas arrival with the Yankees in August 2022 represented a major trade deadline acquisition for a New York team with World Series aspirations, though shoulder injuries prevented him from contributing fully. He appeared in only four games across the 2022 and 2023 seasons for the Yankees combined, missing the majority of 2023 after requiring arthroscopic surgery. Montas left the Yankees as a free agent following the 2023 season without fully demonstrating the potential that had motivated the trade.
Recent Seasons (2024–2025)
Montas split the 2024 season between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers, making thirty total starts across both organizations and posting a combined seven-and-eleven record. He signed a two-year, thirty-four million dollar contract with the New York Mets in December 2024 that included a player option for 2026, though a high-grade lat strain and subsequent ulnar collateral ligament injury sidelined him for the remainder of 2025. Montas required Tommy John surgery and exercised his 2026 player option before being designated for assignment and released by the Mets in November 2025.