The Mets have made their first significant pitching acquisition of the offseason, signing right-handed pitcher to a two-year, $34 million contract. The deal includes an opt-out after the 2025 season, closely resembling the contract Sean Manaea signed last offseason.
The 31-year-old has had a turbulent career in Major League Baseball. He was initially signed by the Red Sox in 2009 as an international free agent from the Dominican Republic, before being traded to the White Sox in 2013 as part of a three-team deal involving the Tigers. He made his debut in 2015 and was traded to the Dodgers in a deal centered around Todd Frazier. However, he didn’t stay with LA and was traded again, this time to Oakland in 2016 for Josh Reddick and Rich Hill.
It took some time, but he found success with Oakland, producing about 160 solid innings between 2018 and 2019, although he struggled with injuries. He remained effective until 2022, when he was traded to the Yankees. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury limited his time in New York, and he pitched sparingly. After recording just four outs in 2023, he signed a one-year deal with the Reds in 2024 but was traded to the Brewers midseason.
Montas’s career has been marked by inconsistency and injury concerns. His 2024 performance was underwhelming, with a 4.84 ERA and a 4.71 FIP, largely due to issues with walks and home runs. However, there were signs of improvement after he was traded to Milwaukee, where his ERA dropped, and his strikeouts increased as he adjusted his pitch mix, focusing more on his sinker and significantly increasing the whiff rate on his slider. For more details on Montas’s adjustments, you can check out a Twitter thread by Isaac Groffman.
This signing is essentially a gamble on the Mets’ ability to build on Montas’s late-season improvements. If it doesn’t work out, either due to injury or poor performance, the financial commitment is relatively small by today’s standards. However, if Montas can regain his form, the Mets could have a solid contributor in the middle of their rotation, much like they did with Manaea last year.
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