The New York Mets made their first move to begin rebuilding their starting rotation, signing veteran right-hander Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal, including an opt-out following the 2025 season.
The 31-year-old went 7-11 with a 4.54 ERA and 147 strikeouts in 150 innings with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. It was only the second time in his nine-year career that he reached the 150-inning mark thanks to a lengthy injury history that included just 1.1 innings with the New York Yankees in 2023 after shoulder surgery — hence the opt-out for security purposes.
Montas showed flashes of becoming a top-of-the-rotation starter in 2021 with the Oakland Athletics, going 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and 207 strikeouts in 187 innings. Over the next three seasons, he has a 4.43 ERA in 296.1 combined innings.
His signing, though, continues to bolster an early trend that Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns has followed, bringing in low-risk, high-reward pitchers on less-expensive deals to bolster the rotation. Last winter, he brought in a pair of pitchers looking for a career renaissance in Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.
While Manaea was demoted to the San Francisco Giants’ bullpen in 2023, Severino had his worst-ever season with the Yankees behind a 6.65 ERA. In Queens, they thrived. Manaea was the Mets’ most valuable arm during the second half of the season, on his way to a career-high 181.2 innings. He went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts. Severino pitched 182 innings, his most since 2018 when he was an All-Star. He went 11-7 with a 3.91 ERA.
Both are free agents, with Manaea believed to be Stearns’ first choice to retain over Severino. Both pitchers rejected their qualifying offers from the Mets this offseason to hit free agency in hopes of securing multi-year deals.
Manaea and Montas were close teammates with the Athletics from 2017 to 2022.
This is expected to be the first of multiple prominent moves made by Stearns to address the rotation. Along with Manaea and Severino, Jose Quintana is also a free agent and is unlikely to return to the organization. They are expected to be one of the numerous teams to at least throw their hat in the Roki Sasaki sweepstakes once the 23-year-old star Japanese pitcher is posted, but they could also be in the mix for Corbin Burnes.
For more on Frankie Montas and the Mets, visit AMNY.com
