Montas says trade to Brewers surprised him because he hadn’t been pitching well lately

MILWAUKEE (AP) — New Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas never expected to get traded this week because he figured his recent struggles would keep any contenders from pursuing him.

Montas had allowed 16 runs over 16 innings in his last three starts with the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers grabbed him anyway in hopes he could become a consistent innings-eater for a rotation that has struggled to go deep into games.

“It’s always good when you see teams out there wanting you and believing in you,” Montas said Wednesday after the Brewers officially activated him. “I’m definitely excited.”

The Brewers made room for Montas on the roster Wednesday by optioning left-hander Tyler Jay to Triple-A Nashville. They had acquired him from Cincinnati at the deadline in exchange for right-hander Jakob Junis and outfielder Joey Wiemer.

This move sends Montas from a sub-.500 team to the first-place team in the NL Central. The 31-year-old right-hander is expected to make his Brewers debut Friday at Washington.

“He fits in really well with the type of player we were looking for,” Brewers president of baseball operations Matt Arnold said. “Really good pedigree. Has pitched in the postseason, checks a lot of boxes for us.”

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The Brewers need some rotation depth as they chase their second straight division title.

Milwaukee’s had an MLB-leading 16 different pitchers start games this season. The Brewers entered Wednesday with a league-low 507 2/3 innings from its starting pitchers.

The Brewers sought to stabilize that rotation by bringing in Montas and Aaron Civale, who was acquired from Tampa Bay on July 3. Civale has gone 0-1 with a 4.29 ERA in four starts for Milwaukee.

Montas, the Reds’ Opening Day starter, has gone 4-8 with a 5.01 ERA and 78 strikeouts in 93 1/3 innings. He had signed a one-year, $16 million contract with the Reds after pitching just one game last season for the New York Yankees while recovering from labrum surgery.

“My arm feels good,” Montas said. “My body feels good. At the end of the day, I think that’s what matters, right? If I feel good, I I can go out there and perform. I can go out there and do my best.”

Montas had gone at least five innings nine times in a 10-start stretch from May 17 to July 10, but he acknowledged that “I’m not pitching the way I wanted to” lately.

Arnold believes a change of scenery could help.

“He’s in front of I think a different defense here,” Arnold said. “Different ballpark. Different environment. We really like his stuff, and frankly, the person. … He’s really excited to be a Brewer.”

Montas knows the capabilities of his new team. He pitched against the Brewers twice this season and allowed eight runs — six earned — over 10 innings. One matchup with the Brewers particularly stood out to Montas.

“Everybody was just taking my splitter, man,” Montas said. “When you see a team like that just taking a pitcher’s best pitch pretty much, it says a lot about the discipline they have at the plate. Just facing them, watching them play, I really love what they have going on over here.”

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB