Former Yankees trade bust Frankie Montas sparks rumors of reunion no one wants

The marriage between the New York Yankees and Frankie Montas went worse than the union between Britney Spears and Jason Alexander, two parties who have not been encouraged to "run it back."

Somehow, the Yankees and Montas haven't closed the book on one another just yet, though.

This past offseason, Montas was viewed as a potential fallback option for the Yankees rotation after working diligently with the team's training staff to come back, even if only symbolically, from a preseason shoulder injury. The hustle worked; nine months later, he threw an inning and a third in the final Yankees series of the year in Kansas City, a feather in his cap and a testament to the partnership behind the scenes. Unfortunately, the good vibes remained contained in the building; fans were still stuck battling the bad taste of Montas' 6.35 ERA in eight post-deadline starts the year before.

Still, though you could've argued bringing Montas back as a depth move represented good value and upside, it seemed patently ridiculous when we all learned to Reds intended to pay him $16 million for 2024, along with a mutual option for 2025. That cost ascended beyond any requisite good feelings.

With the Reds flirting with .500 and the Yankees running into some pitching walls of their own, though, Montas couldn't help but float the idea of a "reconciliation" prior to Tuesday night's series opener between the two parties.

Yankees could eye Frankie Montas in offseason? At trade deadline?!

It's partially up to the Yankees to determine whether the Reds and their positive run differential/below .500 record will view themselves as buyers or sellers this deadline. If New York takes it to Montas on Thursday afternoon, that could further influence things.

Regardless of who moves where, Montas moving back to NYC would represent an all-time high in Brian Cashman criticism, and if he dares to dip his toes into this particular pool, he'd better be right. "2.50 ERA or lower" right.

If the Yankees are going to avoid the eerie 2022 vibes at this particular trade deadline, they'll need to avoid putting all their prospect eggs in the wrong pitching basket the way they did when Montas helped torpedo their campaign two summers ago. Adding literally Montas at this particular deadline would be a bridge too far in underscoring that past failure.

Now, trading for Jordan Montgomery this time instead of dealing him away ... no. No, sorry. Tempting, but no. Just don't do ... any of this.