Sources: Mets, Frankie Montas agree to 2-year, $34M deal

Right-hander Frankie Montas and the New York Mets are in agreement on a two-year, $34 million contract, sources told ESPN on Sunday night, adding a veteran to a thinned-out rotation in the team's first free agent signing of what's bound to be a busy winter.

Montas, 31, joins Kodai Senga and David Peterson among Mets starters after Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana reached free agency. While a reunion with any of the three pitchers who anchored New York's playoff rotation is not out of the question, the Mets pivoted to Montas, who can opt out of the deal -- which is pending a physical -- after the first season.

Montas has shown flashes of frontline starter potential, with a splitter, slider and cutter complementing a fastball that sits around 96 mph. Cincinnati gave him a one-year, $16 million deal last year despite Montas throwing only 1⅓ innings in 2023 following arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The Reds eventually traded Montas to Milwaukee, and he finished the season with a 4.84 ERA over 150⅔ innings, with 148 strikeouts, 66 walks and 24 home runs allowed.

With the free agency of the three pitchers, first baseman Pete Alonso, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, outfielder Harrison Bader and the ending of payments on Justin Verlander's and Max Scherzer's salaries, the Mets have shaved around $150 million off their payroll from last season.

They remain among the favorites to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who shares an agent, Scott Boras, with Montas. New York has engaged in conversations about a vast array of free agents beyond Soto, though signing him to a record deal would not preclude the Mets from pursuing other big names.

New York is coming off a surprising run to the National League Championship Series. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets, they snuck into the playoffs with a furious late-season run, ousted Milwaukee in the wild-card round, thumped Philadelphia in the division series and pushed the NLCS to six games against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting pitching was a fundamental part of their run. Despite losing Senga, their Opening Day starter, for the majority of the season, the Mets finished with a 3.91 starters' ERA, getting better-than-expected seasons from Manaea, Severino and Quintana, all of whom were signed to short-term deals similar to Montas'.