Inside The Mets

Mets Sign Ex-Yankees' Starter in First Significant Free Agency Move

The New York Mets made a major splash in the starting pitcher free agency market on Sunday.

Grant Young

Oct 2, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas (47) throws during the first inning in game two of their wild-card playoff game against the New York Mets at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images
Oct 2, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Frankie Montas (47) throws during the first inning in game two of their wild-card playoff game against the New York Mets at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark Hoffman-Imagn Images / Mark Hoffman/USA Today Network via Imagn Images
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With Luis Severino, Jose Quintana, and Sean Manaea all entering free agency, it was no secret that the New York Mets were going to be active in the free agency market to acquire starting pitchers this offseason.

And the Mets' first major move to address the holes in their rotation arrived on Sunday, as ESPN MLB insider Jeff Passan posted on X, "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."

The Mets signing Montas is a fascinating move on multiple fronts. While he has never been an MLB All-Star, Montas finished sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021 after posting a 13–9 record, 3.37 ERA, and 207 strikeouts in 187 innings for the Oakland Athletics.

Montas was traded to the New York Yankees on August 1, 2022. However, his tenure with New York's other team never really got off the ground, as he joined the Yankees with a shoulder injury that ultimately caused him to miss much of 2022 and almost the entire 2023 regular season.

While acquiring Montas certainly helps the Mets address their starting pitcher deficiencies, it's highly unlikely David Stearns and the front office expect him to be their ace in 2025, as he has become more of a middle-of-the-rotation type arm in the past few seasons.

Therefore, Mets fans can expect their team to still try and sign a bona fide ace like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried this winter.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the New York Yankees, the New York Mets, and Women’s Basketball for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco, where he also played Division 1 baseball for five years. He believes Mark Teixeira should have been a first ballot MLB Hall of Fame inductee.

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