The Mets parted methods with Frankie Montas on Tuesday afternoon, designating the right-hander for project after a disappointing season.
The membership remains to be on the hook for $17 million since Montas exercised his participant possibility for 2026. Montas is presently rehabbing from September Tommy John surgical procedure, so with out him being out there to play subsequent season, the Mets determined to make use of his roster spot. Waivers have been requested for his unconditional launch.
Outfielder Nick Morabito was added to the 40-man roster. A speedy 22-year-old outfielder, Morabito may make it to the Main Leagues as quickly as subsequent season. This successfully protects Morabito from being uncovered within the Rule 5 Draft subsequent month.
There’s no sugarcoating the truth that this was a nasty signing. On the time it was made final winter, it appeared like a low-risk deal even when two years and $34 million was an overpay for the veteran starter. Montas figured one thing out within the second half of 2024 with the Milwaukee Brewers, a membership that present Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns is clearly very acquainted with, and the right-hander has lengthy been thought of a implausible clubhouse presence.
However he was injured early in camp with a lat pressure, which sidelined him till late June. He struggled nearly instantly and was demoted to the bullpen after solely seven begins, solely making it into the sixth inning in two of them.
The 32-year-old pitched in solely 9 video games, going 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA earlier than taking place with the elbow harm in late August.
Whereas the veteran wasn’t proud of the demotion, he took the project in stride. The Mets finally made the choice to name up right-hander Nolan McLean to take his rotation spot, and McLean was implausible the remainder of the way in which.
The Montas signing was the sort of signing that labored for Stearns and the Mets in 2024. He was a reclamation venture of types, who noticed good outcomes when he began throwing his split-finger fastball in 2024. The Mets thought they might capitalize on this pitch by having him enhance the utilization much more, giving him a swing-and-miss pitch to offset his arsenal of ground-ball pitches.
For probably the most half, his splitter was good in 2025, however he wasn’t in a position to successfully use all of his pitches in most of his begins. Montas was inefficient at greatest, and downright ineffective at worst.
Stearns has been receiving warmth from the fanbase to cast off the venture pitchers in 2026 and go for a starter with frontline bonafides. It seems the Mets will attempt to do precisely that this winter.
“I don’t know how many true No. 1 starters are out there right now, I don’t know how many are actually going to be traded, I don’t know how many are truly available in free agency,” Stearns stated final week on the MLB normal supervisor conferences in Las Vegas. “But you’d always like to find that top-of-the-rotation guy that certainly makes building out the rest of the rotation, and the rest of the pitching staff, a lot easier. So if one of those guys happens to be available, we’ll be right there with them.”
