The New York Mets added a key piece to their rotation on Sunday night.
The Mets struck a two-year, $34 million deal with right-hander Frankie Montas on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. Montas reportedly has a player option in the deal after the 2025 season, too.
Right-hander Frankie Montas and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $34 million contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN. Montas, 31, threw 150.2 innings with a 4.84 ERA with Cincinnati and Milwaukee last year. He’s the first piece in the Mets’ new rotation.
Montas started last season with the Cincinnati Reds, who signed him after a shoulder injury limited him to just a single game in 2023 when he was with the New York Yankees. The Milwaukee Brewers then traded for Montas ahead of the trade deadline in July. It marked the fifth time since he made his major league debut in 2015 that he’s been traded.
In total, Montas held a 4.84 ERA with 148 strikeouts in nearly 151 innings pitched last season. He went 7-11 in 30 starts, and he went 3-3 with the Brewers to close out the year. The team made the playoffs for a second straight year, though they were knocked out in the wild card round again earlier this fall.
Montas, 31, will now join Kodai Senga and David Peterson in the Mets’ rotation after several other starters from last season hit free agency — including Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana, who helped lead the team on a surprising trip to the National League Championship Series earlier this year. Though they fell short of a World Series berth, it marked the team’s deepest postseason run in nearly a decade.
The Mets are sure to make several other moves this offseason when it comes to their bullpen, including potentially signing new deals with any of their three starters who are now out on the open market. The team is reportedly in the running to land star outfielder Juan Soto, too. With free agency, the Mets have already cut $150 million off their payroll from last season, which was the highest in the league.
While Montas may not be a legitimate frontline starter in New York, which is something he’s shown bursts of throughout his career, he should be able to provide very solid depth to the Mets’ rotation next summer.