Mets make Frankie Montas deal official
Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Frankie Montas throws during the first inning of the team's baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Friday, June 28, 2024, in St. Louis. Credit: AP/Joe Puetz
With one starting pitcher down, the Mets have at least one — and maybe two — to go this offseason.
They made official Wednesday night their two-year, $34 million contract with righthander Frankie Montas, who is allowed to opt out of the deal after the first season.
Montas, who will turn 32 before Opening Day, joins Kodai Senga and David Peterson among those penciled into the Mets’ 2025 rotation. Paul Blackburn, Tylor Megill and Jose Butto also are options.
“Throughout his career, Frankie has flashed some of the best stuff in the game,” president of baseball operations David Stearn said in a statement released by the team. “He’ll provide a stabilizing presence to our pitching staff and can contribute on and off the field.”
The Mets will try to do what the Yankees, Reds and Brewers could not in recent years: Turn him into something more than a back-of-the-rotation pitcher. He had a 4.84 ERA and 1.37 WHIP in 30 starts with Cincinnati and Milwaukee in 2024. His 150 2/3 innings were his most since 2021, when he tossed a career-high 187 — the only season of his career in which he pitched enough to qualify for the ERA title.
At $17 million per season, Montas is one of several examples of the high cost for starting pitchers early this offseason. Adding more arms will be on the Mets’ to-do list at the winter meetings, which begin Monday in Dallas.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
