The New York Mets designated Frankie Montas for assignment on Tuesday, right before the final year of the pitcher’s contract. The 32-year-old was on a two-year, $34 million deal.
However, he underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of this season and will miss all of next season. Before his tenure with the Mets ended, Frankie Montas exercised the $17 million player option on his contract. The Mets will have to pay him regardless, but he will no longer be on the 40-man roster. In a corresponding move, they selected prospect Nick Morabito to fill the final roster spot. Montas will not do rehabilitation at Citi Field or the club’s spring training complex.
Final Year of Montas’ Contract
Montas made his way to Queens last offseason when he signed his deal. There was hope that he could help rebuild the Mets’ bullpen after going 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA in the previous season. However, the pitcher tore his right lat muscle during spring training and did not return until June. That is a hard injury to bounce back from.
When Montas finally got a chance to show what he was made of, it didn’t go as planned. In seven starts, he had a 6.28 ERA, giving up 48 hits, 29 runs, eight home runs and 14 walks. He had 32 strikeouts during this season, which prematurely ended when he tore his UCL in his right elbow.
This meant that the final year of Montas’ contract would be wasted, as he couldn’t play. Across 10 seasons in the majors, he has a 4.20 ERA and 792 strikeouts. His presence in the bullpen will be missed, considering the Mets have multiple players to re-sign. This includes Edwin Diaz, Ryan Helsley, Ryne Stanek and Tyler Rogers. Without Montas in the rotation, the Mets missed the playoffs by a game, ending with a 83–79 record.
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