The Mets have made the first addition to their starting rotation, as they've reached an agreement on a two-year deal with right-hander Frankie Montas.
The contract, which was first reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, is worth $34 million. The second year of the pact will be a player option.
“We are excited to bring Frankie into the organization and add a quality arm to our major league rotation,” said president of baseball operations David Stearns in a statement Wednesday. “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.”
Montas is coming off a bit of an up-and-down campaign in which he pitched to a 4.84 ERA and 1.36 WHIP while striking out 148 batters and walking 66 across 30 outings with the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.
He struggled for the most part in the hitter-friendly confines of Great American Ballpark but then saw his numbers improve when he was traded to Milwaukee in exchange for Jakob Junis ahead of the deadline — allowing three runs or fewer in eight of his last 11 starts.
The year prior, Montas made just one of his nine appearances with the Yankees, as he was sidelined for the majority of the season before being forced to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder.
By getting the right-hander into the Mets' pitching lab, the hope is that they'll be able to tap into the upside he showed during his dominant days with the Oakland Athletics — such as his spectacular 2021 season, in which he finished sixth in American League Cy Young voting.
Either way, Montas figures to slot in as a backend option.
He'll join the likes of Kodai Senga, David Peterson, Tylor Megill, and Paul Blackburn in the mix in the Mets' starting rotation, but there will certainly be more additions made over the next couple of months.