The New York Mets could be without star pitcher Frankie Montas for the foreseeable future.
The Mets signed Montas to a two-year $34 million deal this offseason to bolster their rotation. Montas was going to be in a competition with Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga as the Opening Day starter.
However, on February 17, New York Post reporter Mike Puma reported that Montas is not throwing and will be shut down.
“Frankie Montas has not been throwing and will apparently remain shut down for a significant stretch,” Puma wrote on X.
Montas was expected to be a key part of the Mets rotation, so this is bad news for New York. It’s also uncertain how serious the injury is or when he may be able to return to pitching and get into game action.
Montas went 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA in 30 starts between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers in 2024.
Mets Were Excited to Sign Montas
New York needed to bolster its rotation in the offseason and did just that.
The Mets brought back Manaea while also signing Montas and Clay Holmes to be a starter. After signing Montas, New York general manager David Stearns said the right-hander would add some stability to the rotation.
“We are excited to bring Frankie into the organization and add a quality arm to our major league rotation,” Stearns said in a statement. “Throughout his career, Frankie has flashed some of the best stuff in the game. He’ll provide a stabilizing presence to our pitching staff and can contribute on and off the field.”
Manaea, meanwhile, was also excited the Mets brought in Montas. The Mets starter says he will be a dog in the rotation and be an impactful player for them.
“I’m super excited (for the signing of Montas]. I love him to death. I’m very happy to be reunited with him,” Manaea said. “He’s a funny guy. He’s very passionate about pitching. He goes out there and is a dog. He is tough and he is incredible, too.”
New York opens up its 2025 MLB season on March 27 against Houston.
How Could New York Replace Montas?
If Montas is out for the foreseeable future, the Mets could look to bring back Jose Quintana who remains a free agent.
Quintana went 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA in 31 games with the Mets in 2024. However, the left-hander has still yet to sign, but after Montas’ injury, New York could look to bring him back.
The Mets could also look to fill the void internally. New York could feature a rotation on Manaea, Senga, Holmes, Griffin Canning, and then one of David Peterson or Paul Blackburn.
Stearns, meanwhile, just recently commented on the Mets rotation and liked the depth they had.
“I will say, I feel much better about our starting pitching depth sitting here today than I did a year ago,” Stearns said. “We made that a priority of our offseason. We brought in a number of players at all levels of free agency… We’re coming into camp in a pretty good health spot. I feel good about our starting pitching depth.”
How the Mets choose to fill the void of Montas will likely come down to how long he will be out with the injury.
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