NEW YORK — The Yankees have been among baseball’s busiest clubs in advance of Tuesday’s 6 p.m. ET Trade Deadline, bolstering their staff for the postseason push on Monday by officially acquiring right-handed starter Frankie Montas and right-handed reliever Lou Trivino from the Athletics.
New York sent left-hander Ken Waldichuk (New York’s No. 5 prospect/No. 70 overall, per MLB Pipeline), right-hander Luis Medina (No. 10), left-hander JP Sears (No. 20) and second baseman Cooper Bowman (No. 21) to the Athletics in exchange for Montas and Trivino.
With Luis Castillo traded to the Mariners on Friday, Montas, 29, was the best remaining starting pitcher on the market. Though he has been battling shoulder injuries this season, Montas has been sharp for the A’s, posting a 3.18 ERA with 109 strikeouts in 104 2/3 innings.
The right-hander has a career 3.73 ERA over seven seasons and finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting last year after going 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 187 innings.
Yankees get: RHPs Frankie Montas and Lou Trivino
A’s get: LHPs Ken Waldichuk and JP Sears, RHP Luis Medina, 2B Cooper Bowman
Earlier in the afternoon, the Yankees completed a swap with the Cubs to import right-handed reliever Scott Effross in exchange for right-hander Hayden Wesneski, who had been the Yankees’ No. 7 prospect.
Combined with the club’s recent trade with the Royals for outfielder Andrew Benintendi, the additions of Montas, Trivino and Effross figure to bolster a roster that entered play on Monday with a Major League-leading 69 victories.
Montas, 29, is 4-9 with a 3.18 ERA in 19 starts this season, his seventh in the Majors. In 104 2/3 innings, Montas has scattered 91 hits and allowed 44 runs (37 earned), with 12 homers. He has struck out 109 batters against just 28 walks, and he is earning $5.05 million this season. Montas is arbitration-eligible next year and can be a free agent in 2024.
Trivino, 30, is 1-6 with a 6.47 ERA and 10 saves in 39 appearances, finishing 23 games. In 32 innings, Trivino has permitted 46 hits and 25 runs (23 earned), walking 14 against 45 strikeouts. Trivino is earning $3 million this season and is arbitration-eligible through 2024, eligible for free agency in 2025.
The Yankees have sputtered in the pitching department of late, especially after season-ending injuries to relievers Chad Green and Michael King, plus an injury to right-hander Miguel Castro and a brief run of inconsistency for All-Star closer Clay Holmes, who surrendered a ninth-inning homer to the Royals’ Salvador Perez on Sunday.
Effross and Trivino should help in the relief department, while Montas provides New York with a solid starter to slot behind ace right-hander Gerrit Cole in a playoff series. All-Star right-hander Nestor Cortes is on an innings watch, while right-hander Luis Severino has not pitched since July 13 due to injury.
The Yankees appear to have one remaining piece of business before Tuesday’s Trade Deadline — moving outfielder Joey Gallo, who recently spoke of his pinstriped tenure in the past tense during an interview with The Athletic.
The Brewers, Padres and Rangers are considered to be potential fits for Gallo, who has batted .159/.291/.368 with 25 homers and 46 RBIs in 140 games as a Yankee since being acquired from Texas last July.