The New York Mets opted to begin their offseason with a ripple instead of a splash.
ESPN’s Jeff Passan reported Sunday evening that New York had signed right-hander Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal. Montas spent last year with the Reds and Brewers and managed a 4.84 ERA over 30 starts (150.1 innings).
Those numbers aren’t inspiring, but remember Montas missed all but one game of 2023 recovering from shoulder surgery. That’s practically a whole year off, and then setting up shop in the ridiculously hitter-friendly Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati. No wonder his pitching run value for 2024 was at -12.
So why would the New York Mets, fresh off of a fantastic run to the NLCS, take a flyer on Frankie Montas? He’ll be 32 on Opening Day and a two-year deal is expensive for someone coming off of such a down year.
The answer is actually a few reasons. First, as Jon Heyman of the Post tacked onto Passan’s initial reporting, the deal has an opt-out clause. The worst case scenario is Frankie Montas doesn’t work out in Flushing, and the Mets can try trading him at the deadline.
However, the odds of that seem low thanks to Mets pitching coach Jeremy Hefner. Just look at what he did with Sean Manaea and Luis Severino last season. Severino, the former Yankees ace, posted a 3.91 ERA in orange and blue in 2024 after having the worst season of his career in the Bronx a year before. Manaea, similarly, lost his mojo after leaving Oakland two years ago, only to get it back with the Mets.
In fact, Manaea signed a similar deal to Montas’: It was a one-year pact for $14.5 million, plus a player option for ’25. After pitching to a 3.47 ERA through a career-high 181.2 innings, he naturally opted out of the deal and is a free agent again.
All this to say, the New York Mets signed Frankie Montas because even with all of the Juan Soto noise, they’re still beyond desperate for pitching. Manaea and Severino are both free agents, and so is veteran lefty Jose Quintana. That leaves Kodai Senga, who pitched in four total games last season, and who else?
David Peterson? Tylor Megill? Paul Blackburn once he’s back from his spinal surgery? Don’t forget, top prospect Christian Scott had Tommy John surgery in September and won’t be back until after the All-Star Break at the earliest.
Montas, meanwhile, was establishing himself as a potential ace-caliber arm in Oakland before blowing out his shoulder in 2022-23. Hefner is a smart coach who’ll figure his latest arm out in no time. Montas’ breaking pitches still having Stuff+ north of 100 is a good starting point.
The bigger question now, however, is which pitchers are headed to Queens next?
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