The New York Mets and right-handed starting pitcher Frankie Montas have agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract, reports Jeff Passan of ESPN.
Montas, 31, was 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA (89 ERA+), 1.37 WHIP and 148 strikeouts in 150⅔ innings with the Redness (19 starts) and brewer (11 starts) in 2024. As a member of the Oakland AthleticsHe was on his way to an All-Star season in 2019 before a PED suspension and then finished sixth in the Cy Young voting in 2021. There's obviously upside here, even if it's been a few years since Montas looked like a front-line starter.
The Mets reached the NLCS last season, but three rotation games fell through free agency Luis SeverinoJosé Quintana and Sean Manaea.
As things stand, the Mets rotation could be like this Kodai Senga, David PetersonMontas, Tylor Megill And Paul Blackburnbut the expectation going into the offseason was that the Mets would land multiple starting pitchers. They will still add at least one more and maybe two or even three. They are rumored to be in the mix with some of the biggest free agent starters, such as: Corbin Burnes And Max Friedto.
View Montas' signature through this lens as depth. He is not expected to lean toward the top of the rotation. Instead, the Mets will make him the fourth or fifth starter on Opening Day.