The Mets added an intriguing piece to their starting rotation last week, bringing in Frankie Montas on a two-year deal.
Coming off a bit of an up-and-down campaign, the hope is that New York’s pitching lab will be able to help him turn things around and regain some of that upside he once showed, just as they did with Luis Severino and Sean Manaea last season.
That’s exactly why the righty reached out to both Manaea and Severino before officially putting pen to paper.
“They had nothing but good things to say about the way they do things,” Montas said. “All of the resources they have to take your game to the next level. I got to see a little bit of it when I was in New York the past couple of days.
“The way they do things. The way they prepare guys. The way they help with your recovery. All of the resources they have to improve your game. I’m definitely excited for next year and to see how they can help me improve.”
Severino, who was Montas’ teammate during his injury-filled stint in the Bronx, showed just how much the improvements could pay off as he inked a big-money three-year deal with the Athletics on Thursday.
Manaea is expected to land an even bigger figure after his career-best campaign.
Though there will certainly be a number of teams in the running for the talented southpaw, there was mutual interest between him and the Mets at the end of the season on a potential reunion, and Montas is certainly hoping that ends up being the case.
The 31-year-old called Manaea one of his “best friends” in the game from their early days together with the Oakland Athletics.
“He’s one of the guys that I look up to,” he said. “He helped me a lot when I was in Oakland, I was very close with him. I wish him nothing but the best. I hope he can sign with us because he will be a guy who definitely would help this team get to the promised land.”