Mets Reportedly Among Best Fits For Rising Star Starting Pitcher In Free Agency

New York reportedly could be in the mix to land a rising star starting pitcher this offseason

What will the New York Mets do this offseason about the roster?

This question remains unclear. New York brought in former Milwaukee Brewers executive David Stearns to lead the club as the organization's president of baseball operations. While he certainly has more capital to use than he did in Milwaukee, it's unclear how much the Mets will spend after an underwhelming 2023 season. 

One area the team needs to address this offseason is the starting rotation after trading away Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer. New York has been mentioned as a fit for multiple stars, but it's unclear who it will land. One player who reportedly could be a fit is Texas Rangers hurler Jordan Montgomery, according to The Athletic's Tim Britton and Aaron Gleeman. 

"Montgomery's raw stuff doesn't excite and he was traded in back-to-back seasons, but he's quietly been one of (Major League Baseball's) most effective and durable starters since 2021," Britton and Gleeman said. "Getting around balls with his sinker, and whiffs with curveballs and changeups, he joined Gerrit Cole and Kevin Gausman as the only pitchers with 30-plus starts and a sub-4.00 ERA in each of the past three seasons. 

"Like most southpaws, Montgomery is death on left-handed hitters, but he also used good command and two quality off-speed pitches to neutralize righties. It's not the sexiest profile for a pitcher set to cash in big at age 31, but Montgomery is a quality second or third option in a contending rotation and figures to be a lot of teams' top fallback plan in a relatively shallow market for starters." 

Britton and Gleeman compiled a list of baseball's best free agents and the top landing spots for each one. They mentioned the Mets as a top landing spot for Montgomery along with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and incumbent Rangers. 

Montgomery took a massive step forward this season and shined for the St. Louis Cardinals before being traded to the Rangers. He was even better with Texas and helped lead the club to a World Series title. He will be highly sought-after this offseason and could be a solid pickup for the Mets -- especially if they could land someone like Orix Buffaloes phenom Yoshinobu Yamamoto.