The second-place Oakland Athletics trail only the Houston Astros for first place in the AL West. A case can be made the Athletics need offensive help more than pitching with their starting left fielder, Mark Canha, and starting right fielder, Stephen Piscotty, both on the disabled list.
Further, with four regulars having an OPS+ of 100 or less, the Athletics definitely need more firepower in their lineup to compete with the Astros during the dog days of summer.
In order to win, teams have to take chances. In six professional seasons, Frankie Montas has ended only two seasons with an ERA+ above 100. Those seasons came in 2018 and 2019. Last year, 2020, Montas had a disastrous 75 ERA+ to accompany equally disastrous 4.74 FIP and 1.509 WHIP.
This year, he has fared a little better and sits with an 84 ERA+. His velocity is back after dipping in 2020. With a 96 mile per hour fastball, an 88 mile per hour slider, and a 87 mile per hour split finger fastball, Montas should make the transition to the bullpen. Albeit, he could move back in a year but in order to make room for Berrios and push for a playoff run, Montas in the bullpen would add one more arm and some versatility for manager Bob Melvin.
Since it is the Athletics, there are no expectations Oakland would reach out to Berrios for a long-term contract. Therefore, the package from the Athletics may not be as strong as other teams considering their unwillingness to commit to valuable, long-term contracts.