Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas improved to 2-1 on the season after the team's 5-1 victory over the Baltimore Orioles on Monday. The 29-year-old pitched six innings and allowed two hits, two walks and one earned run while striking out five. Montas had a rough debut to the 2022 season, allowing five earned runs over five innings to the Philadelphia Phillies. However, he's recorded two consecutive quality starts since then. He'll take a 3.63 ERA and a 0.92 WHIP into his next start against the Texas Rangers on Saturday.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas remains a trade target for the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox were one of the teams interested in trading for former Athletics pitcher Sean Manaea, who was dealt to the San Diego Padres. According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the White Sox nearly had a deal for Manaea before the Padres wound up making their move. Nightengale also reports that the A's have asked for the White Sox to send first baseman Andrew Vaughn in a deal for one of the team's starters and the White Sox have not been interested in venturing in that direction.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas will be the team's starter on Opening Day, according to manager Mark Kotsay. The skipper also added that he expects Montas to still be on the team's roster by the time the team takes the field for its first game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Friday. That certainly seems like a worthy addendum for Kotsay to add as the team has been cleaning house this offseason. Fellow starting pitcher Sean Manaea was traded to the San Diego Padres on Sunday, shortly before Kotsay made this Opening Day announcement. Montas is ranked 21st overall in the RotoBaller starting pitcher rankings. Last year, he went 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA, a 1.18 WHIP and a 26.6% strikeout rate. Wins may be tough for him to come by if he remains an Athletic, but the rest of his numbers should be strong.

Interested teams are getting the impression that the Oakland Athletics may hold onto starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea. Some teams believe they are open to dealing Manaea, but it's quite possible now that they keep both pitchers, at least to begin the 2022 season. The A's have already traded Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman, but they may decide to hang onto Manaea and Montas for a bit longer. Montas is probably the more attractive real-life and fantasy arm because of his strikeout upside, but Manaea is more likely to be traded after he signed a one-year, $9.75 million deal to avoid salary arbitration on Tuesday. The left-hander had a solid 3.91 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and a 194:42 K:BB in 179 1/3 innings in 2021.

Oakland Athletics starting pitchers Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea both avoided salary arbitration on Tuesday by agreeing to one-year deals. Montas settled for $5.025 million, while Manaea will make $9.75 million in 2022. Both Montas and Manaea have been at the center of trade rumors this spring with the A's in fire-sell mode since the lockout was lifted. They've already traded Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson and Matt Chapman. Montas had a solid 3.37 WHIP and 1.18 WHIP while striking out 207 hitters in 187 innings over a league-high 32 starts in 2021, while Manaea had a 3.91 ERA and 1.23 WHIP with 194 K's over 179 1/3 innings in 32 starts. Montas is slightly more attractive in fantasy as a No. 2 starter, but either player could become more attractive if they're dealt, depending on where they land.

The Kansas City Royals are one of the teams trying to acquire Oakland Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas, according to sources. The Royals freed up $8.5 million in the trade Wednesday that sent left-hander Mike Minor to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for lefty reliever Amir Garrett. The A's, on the other hand, have already traded starting pitcher Chris Bassitt, first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman as they begin a rebuild. The Royals are looking to acquire more young starting pitcher after trading away veteran Minor on Wednesday. Montas and lefty Sean Manaea are drawing interest from the Minnesota Twins, Chicago White Sox and New York Yankees as well.

The New York Yankees are among the teams talking to the Oakland Athletics about star young pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas, according to sources familiar with the situation. In addition to the Yankees, the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox have discussed the two starting pitchers. The A's are clearly rebuilding after already trading right-hander Chris Bassitt, star first baseman Matt Olson and third baseman Matt Chapman this week. The Yankees could use some starting pitching reinforcement given injury concerns surrounding Jameson Taillon and Domingo German heading into the 2022 regular season. If the Yankees don't land one of Manaea or Montas, Michael King could open the year in the Yankees rotation.

Along with the Minnesota Twins, the Chicago White Sox are among many teams talking to the Oakland Athletics about trading for starting pitchers Sean Manaea and/or Frankie Montas. The A's already have traded starting pitcher Chris Bassitt to the New York Mets and first baseman Matt Olson to the Atlanta Braves, so their full rebuild could continue with either Manaea or Montas being sent out. Due to an offseason illness, White Sox right-hander Michael Kopech is behind the rest of the pitcher in spring camp and might not be ready for the start of the season, so adding another arm to their starting pitcher would give the White Sox some more insurance heading into the regular season.

The Minnesota Twins and Oakland Athletics have discussed trade proposals in recent days that would include a starting pitcher going to Minnesota, and pitchers Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas are the top candidates to be included in a deal, according to sources. The Twins are dealing fast and furious now that MLB is back in business, as they've already traded for starter Sonny Gray, catcher Gary Sanchez and third baseman Gio Urshela. It looks like they could be adding another arm to their starting rotation in short order. Minnesota also unloaded a ton of money by sending Josh Donaldson to the Yankees on Sunday night, so they certainly aren't done adding. Either Manaea or Montas would represent an upgrade to their starting staff.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed two unearned runs with seven strikeouts in a no-decision versus Seattle on Wednesday. Montas allowed just three hits and two walks in what was likely his last start of the 2021 season. The right-hander finished strong as he allowed three runs or fewer in all but one outing since the start of July. He posted a 2.17 ERA in the second half and allowed a minuscule .199 batting average against him in that span. For the season, Montas had a strong 29.2% CSW rate and generated a career-best 13.7% swinging-strike rate so his success should be sustainable heading into 2022.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed one earned run over seven innings during a 14-2 victory over the Houston Astros on Friday. The 28-year-old gave up two hits, three walks, and two runs (one earned) while striking out eight during the quality start. The right-hander has put together a strong season, going 13-9 with a 3.48 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, and 200 strikeouts across 181 innings. The A's ace will take the ball one last time during the regular in a rematch with the Astros next Friday in Houston.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas was brilliant on Sunday as he fired seven shutout innings versus the Angels. Unfortunately, the A's bullpen couldn't hold the lead, but it was an encouraging outing for Montas after getting roughed up in his last start. The right-hander did walk four batters, but he allowed just one hit while picking up seven strikeouts while throwing 62 of 87 pitches for strikes. Montas has been one of the best pitchers in baseball in the second half of the season as he's got a 2.34 EA and a .210 batting average against since the All-Star break. In that span, Montas is third in baseball in swinging-strike rate and eighth in strikeout rate, so he has fully supported his recent success. Montas is a must-start pitcher in fantasy, though a tough matchup with Houston waits next.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas had a rough night on Tuesday as he allowed eight hits and four runs to the Royals across just 3 1/3 innings. Montas picked up four strikeouts and allowed two walks as he failed to complete six innings for the first time in his last five starts. This outing was also the first time since June 21 that Montas allowed more than three runs as he's been excellent for the A's and fantasy managers alike. He'll carry a 3.72 ERA supported by a strong 3.65 xFIP into another good matchup with the Angels. Fantasy managers should keep Montas in starting lineups for that matchup.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed one run across seven innings with seven strikeouts in a win over the White Sox on Wednesday. Montas induced a healthy 15 swinging strikes on 105 pitches as no hurler in the Majors has been better at inducing swings and misses in the second half of the season. Montas' 16.3% swinging-strike rate since the All-Star break leads all qualified pitchers and the results have been fantastic. Montas has a 2.26 ERA in the second half with 76 strikeouts across 63 2/3 innings and has lasted at least six innings in nine of his last 10 outings. He's a must-start option in all fantasy leagues, especially with a juicy matchup in Kansas City on the docket next time out.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed three runs across 6 2/3 innings pitched to earn his 11th win of the season Thursday at Detroit. Montas allowed five hits and three walks while picking up seven strikeouts on the afternoon. It was another good start for the right-hander, though manager Bob Melvin may have pushed Montas a little too far as he allowed a single and a homer in the seventh inning to soil his pitching line a tad after cruising through six innings. Montas will carry an 11-9 record with a 3.68 ERA, a 1.20 WHIP and a 174:45 K:BB into a home start versus the White Sox.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas will have his start moved up to Thursday against the Detroit Tigers. Apparently, lefty Sean Manaea is having a visa issue and won't be able to pitch on Thursday. This is actually a favorable change for Montas. He'll get a much easier opponent and has been tough to hit over the last few months. Since June 26, Montas has a 2.27 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 80/21 K/BB ratio during that span. He'll be an excellent DFS option and fantasy choice for Thursday's contest.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas threw a gem Sunday afternoon, but unfortunately he didn't get a win for his effort. Montas threw seven scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and two walks while striking out nine. He left the game with the team leading 1-0 over the San Francisco Giants, but the bullpen could not hold the line. Montas now has a 3.84 ERA, a 1.24 WHIP, and 161 strikeouts in 143 innings for the season. He's been every better lately with a 2.51 ERA in his last seven starts. He's looking very strong and should be a weekly starter in all formats.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed three runs across five innings to drop his record to 9-9 with a loss to the White Sox on Monday. Montas had traffic on the bases all night as he allowed eight hits and three walks against six strikeouts. This snaps a six-game streak where Montas went at least six innings as the right-hander has been great since the calendar flipped to July. In that span, Montas has a 2.79 ERA supported by a 2.99 xFIP and 60 strikeouts across 48 2/3 innings as he's become a strong option to deploy in fantasy. He'll see the Giants in a home start this weekend.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed two runs, one earned, across six innings in a no-decision at the Indians on Wednesday. Montas collected six strikeouts as it was the first time in six starts he failed to whiff at least seven batters. Montas is putting together his best season in the Majors as he's sporting a career-best 26.4% strikeout rate and a 13.6% swinging-strike rate, implying he can keep up his success. Montas is a must-start fantasy option despite a tough matchup at the White Sox up next.

Oakland Athletics starting pitcher Frankie Montas allowed three runs in six innings with eight strikeouts in a no-decision versus the Padres on Wednesday. Montas scattered eight hits and didn't walk a batter as he posted a quality start for the fifth-straight outing. The right-hander punched out at least seven batters in each of his last five starts and is up to 140 strikeouts in 125 innings this season. He's rocking a career-best 13.8 percent swinging-strike rate and has a CSW rate above 30 percent. This implies Montas should continue to rack up the K's and is a must-roster pitcher in fantasy. He's got a juicy matchup in Cleveland lined up next time out.