NY Mets contract with Frankie Montas has the same feel as another recent deal

So much has happened this offseason that any thought of what Frankie Montas can specifically give the New York Mets in 2025 hasn’t been a priority. We all knew him well from his days with the Oakland Athletics. The flash he had as a member of the New York Yankees, a tenure most remembered for being sidelined with injuries, is what gave us a more regular albeit short-lived glimpse at what he can do.

Last year was a situation for Montas very similar to ex-Athletics teammate Sean Manaea. Montas inked a one-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds and was later traded midseason to the rival NL Central Milwaukee Brewers. Montas got better after the trade, but his numbers in the final month were as problematic as they were promising.

A .202/.304/.483 slash line against him in September to go along with 14.1 strikeouts per 9 would suggest greatness. However, a season-high 7 home runs allowed and 5.55 ERA for the month, the second highest of any he had in 2024, worsened his overall numbers for the year. Trending in the right direction without the end results, the contract he signed with the Mets feels too reminiscent of another recent free agent bust.

Is Frankie Montas the pitcher’s version of Omar Narvaez?

Going directly from the Brewers to the Mets is merely coincidental in this comparison. What makes Montas a dangerous addition is how much faith the Mets are putting in a guy who’ll hold all of the power for the 2026 season.

Omar Narvaez received a one-year deal with a player option for the second year. It would have taken a monster season from him in 2023 to opt out of his contract. Losing the starting catcher spot to Francisco Alvarez and hitting only .211 when he did play made his choice to opt in an easier call than getting seconds at the buffet table.

Our expectations aren’t so different for Frankie Montas as they were for Omar Narvaez

Back when Narvaez signed, fans could easily look ahead with the expectation that Alvarez would, by 2024, have some grip on the starting catcher spot. And yet a player option appeared in his deal that would hamstring the Mets into eating more salary to have a veteran catcher go away just as they did with James McCann before Narvaez.

Montas had a better year than Narvaez did prior to joining the Mets. Perhaps due to the recent bias toward valuing pitchers a lot more, it seems less risky in some ways. Even if he did repeat the 7-11 record and 4.84 ERA he combined to have last season, there’s value to a guy who can eat up 150+ innings.

There’s a problem, though. Montas has only ever done this twice in his career: last year and 2021. He’s no pup. He’ll turn 32 in March. A lack of track record of staying healthy and only having one truly memorable season should have us wondering just how high his ceiling could actually reach.

Believe it or not, expectations weren’t so low when the Mets signed Narvaez. He had hit well in the past. His defense was solid. He regularly threw out just below the league average of attempted base stealers. Swinging from the left side, fans were able to convince themselves a platoon situation could get the most out of him. How wrong we were.

There isn’t much of a benefit to the Mets with the second-year option

The player option the Mets awarded to Sean Manaea last offseason ended up in the trash with him outperforming the money he would have received if he had opted in, $13.5 million. Manaea had some of those same red flags as Montas did prior to signing with the Mets. Working to Manaea’s benefit was being further removed from major injuries. In comparison to Montas, he has been a workhorse. Five seasons in his career have included 150+ innings. As a rookie in 2016, he fell just shy at 144.2.

Player options are never team friendly. They’re a way to give the player a little extra incentive to sign a contract in the first place. Montas is planning to capitalize on his deal with the Mets the same way Manaea did. He could very well end up pitching his way into a more lucrative deal than the $17 million the Mets are on the hook for in 2026 if he opts in.

The worry is if he has another very average or injured year and chooses to stick around. We know Steve Cohen isn’t afraid to eat money, but the Mets haven’t operated with complete ruthlessness when the financial punishment is large. Otherwise, Starling Marte would have been cut in favor of an improvement. Narvaez never would have been allowed to start the 2024 season on the team.