MLB insider mocks Cincinnati Reds’ decision to trade Frankie Montas to Milwaukee Brewers: ‘It was just weird’

A notable MLB insider believes the Cincinnati Reds decision to trade Frankie Montas to rivals the Milwaukee Brewers was one of the weirdest moves before this week’s trade deadline.

Entering the MLB games today , the Reds are four games under .500 and dead last in the National League Central standings. That is why it was not surprising when the organization was willing to be sellers before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

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While the organization did not make any shocking moves, their decision to send opening day starter Frankie Montas to the Brewers turned heads. Not just because they traded one of their most notable pitchers, but they did so in the division. Furthermore, Athletic MLB insider Jim Bowden claims Cincy made a key deal that netted them very little worthwhile talent in return.

In a Thursday column looking at the best and worst moves before last month’s trade deadline, the former general manager knocked the Montas deal and called it the weirdest done before 6 PM ET on Tuesday.

Frankie Montas stats (2024): 4-8 Record, 5.01 ERA, 1.436 WHIP, 78 SO, 41 BB, 93.1 IP

Cincinnati Reds Frankie Montas trade ranked as the ‘weirdest’ before 2024 trade deadline

“Montas has been inconsistent, but he did make some strong starts for Cincinnati,” Bowden wrote. “I understood trading him to open a rotation spot for a younger starter and save some money. But I didn’t get the return. Wiemer plays hard but is not going to hit enough and really doesn’t have a lot of room to climb the depth chart on the Reds’ roster, and Junis is just a 12th pitcher on the staff.

“It was just weird. If you’re going to trade Montas, why not try to reach down into the Brewers’ farm system to find two teenage prospects to take a chance on? Instead, it felt like they just got roster-fillers.”

The Cincinnati Reds rebuild is, hopefully, in the final stages before they become a consistent contender in the division. However, it is still disappointing that despite this being a great year to be a seller, the organization may have missed a huge opportunity to get a better-than-expected return for a valuable asset.

Related: Where do the Cincinnati Reds land in our post-trade deadline MLB power rankings?

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