CINCINNATI — The Reds won a game and lost a starting pitcher Monday night as they enter the MLB trade deadline day in no man’s land.
The emotion of Frankie Montas told the trade story as old as time. Trades of popular figures hit everyone like a load of bricks.
And the trade of Cincinnati’s Opening Day starter was no different starting with Montas himself. He was 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA in 19 starts with the Reds since signing a one-year, $16 million contract in the offseason.
“Definitely sad,” said Montas, who was Cincinnati’s Opening Day starter. “This is a team that helped me a lot, a team that was definitely what I was looking for. This is probably the toughest time I have leaving a clubhouse, to be honest. I’ve been traded many times but the relationships I’ve created here and the way they welcomed me, and not just me but my family and kids like it’s definitely tough.”
“Definitely sad” Frankie Montas on being traded to Milwaukee. “This is a team that helped me a lot, a team that was definitely what I was looking for. This is probably the toughest time I have had leaving a clubhouse to be honest. I’ve been traded many times but the relationships… pic.twitter.com/z83sORNBnL
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 30, 2024
No one was more deeply impacted by Montas’ veteran presence in the clubhouse than Hunter Greene, who matured into an All-Star starter for the Reds this season.
“He taught me the importance of giving six innings every time out,” Greene said Monday night after the clubhouse was informed. “He showed me that how you prepare to go out and give as much as you can is really what matters.”
In trading the 31-year-old Montas, Greene lost a mentor.
“It’s sucks,” Greene added. “His impact has been tremendous in such a short period of time with us.”
But Montas played it humble and downplayed his impact when I asked him what kind of pride he took in mentoring Greene.
“Hunter was already Hunter,” Montas said. “I was the one learning from him. He’s the type of guy that knows how to go about his work. He has grown into a great pitcher.”
While Montas won’t be playing for Cincinnati for the rest of the season, he could always return in 2025, something the right-hander acknowledged.
“100 percent. 100 percent,” Montas affirmed. “This is a team I would love to come back to.”
After powering three home runs in a 7-1 romp over the Cubs, the Reds dealt Montas, their probable starting pitcher, to the rival Milwaukee Brewers for a pair of prospects.
The Reds receive outfielder Joey Wiemer, a product of the University of Cincinnati, and right-hander Jakob Junis.
“Frankie did a lot in a short time here, both on the mound which everybody can see, and behind the scenes,” Reds manager David Bell said. “Just amazing things really as far as being a great teammate and doing his part to share his experience. He gave us everything. He poured it in to our team and really invested everything he had to help us be the best we could be.”
With the trade of Montas, the Reds did not immediately announce a replacement starter for Tuesday’s game.
The Cubs will start lefty Justin Steele (2-4, 3.08), making his 17th start of the season. The Cubs have lost Steele’s last two starts and are 5-11 in his 16 previous starts this season, despite an impressive ERA.
Steele will make his third start of the season against the Reds, and his second in Cincinnati in 2024. On June 7, Steele was tagged for three runs on five hits over seven innings in Cincinnati’s 3-2 win.
Steele is 0-3 with a 7.31 ERA in five lifetime appearances at Great American Ball Park. Overall, Steele is 2-4 with a 5.75 ERA lifetime against Cincinnati in 10 appearances, including eight starts.
Despite their 7-1 loss in the series opener, the Cubs got a boost Monday when outfielder Cody Bellinger was activated from 10-day injured list after going through a normal pregame workout. Bellinger tested his left middle finger, which was fractured on July 10.
“Cody hit for a long time this afternoon,” Cubs manager Craig Counsell said before the game. “It went really well. He’s going to throw here and then he’s going to hit again. Really good day. We’re going to assess after he’s done with the next round of working out and see where we’re at, but we’re moving in a really good direction.”
Through 79 games this season, he is batting 269 with nine home runs, 15 doubles and 37 RBIs.
David Bell talks about losing his Opening Day starter and a leader of the pitching staff in Frankie Montas. pic.twitter.com/otNCbetRRx
— Mike Petraglia (@Trags) July 30, 2024
