The Brewers allegedly acquired right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas in a trade with the Cincinnati Reds, returning outfielder Joey Wiemer and right-hander Jakob Junis. Mark Feinsand was the first to reveal the complete information.
Montas, a nine-year journeyman who has played for the White Sox, Yankees, and Reds, has struggled this season, with a 5.01 ERA (4.91 FIP, 85 ERA+) and 78 strikeouts in 93 1⁄3 innings in 19 starts.
He signed a one-year contract with a $20 million mutual option for 2025, with a $2 million buyout.
Wiemer was blocked in the outfield for Milwaukee after struggling in his one-plus season with the major league club, hitting.201/.277/.349 in 151 games with 13 homers, 42 RBIs, and 12 steals. He played in only 19 games with the Brewers this season, spending the majority of time at Triple-A Nashville, where he hit.242/.387/.358 with three home runs, 21 RBIs, and six steals in 53 games. He is still pre-arbitration, so the Reds will have several years of team control
Junis, an eight-year veteran who spent the first five years of his career with the Royals, signed a one-year contract with the Brewers in 2024, with a mutual option for 2025. He missed a significant portion of the season due to a right shoulder injury (he also had a head injury in a dangerous moment in Pittsburgh), but he’s been good when healthy, pitching to a 2.42 ERA (4.38 FIP, 176 ERA+) with 19 strikeouts in 26 innings in 10 appearances (one start).
Update: According to Feinsand, because both Montas and Junis have 2025 mutual options with buyouts, the Brewers will send $1 million to the Reds in the transaction, as Montas’ buyout is $2 million vs $3 million for Junis.
