NY Mets Monday Morning GM: Prevailing pitcher removes excuses for injured teammates

A head scratching free agent move by the New York Mets who turned out to be a success. Where have we heard this one before? Griffin Canning has been superb through 5 starts, going 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA. The Mets even managed to win his no-decision. All for the low cost of $4.25 million, David Stearns has done it again.

This is a guy the Mets added in the offseason coming off of his most complete MLB campaign but with a twist: he led the league in earned runs in 99. Canning never could figure things out with the Los Angeles Angels. Although his time with the Mets remains fresh, he’s looking like an absolute steal.

His teammates are sure to love it, even if two of his injured brethren now have more pressure to perform.

Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas have no excuse with Griffin Canning pitching this well

It’s not apples to apples when it comes to joining the Mets as a mediocre pitcher trying to find his way. As much as we’d like to believe the pitching lab and a sit down with Jeremy Hefner is all any pitcher needs, there’s a lot more to it. Players need to buy into the system and philosophy. Most of all, they need to execute and get the best advice possible.

Canning could very well end up as one of Stearns’ greatest offseason steals. The same narrative doesn’t quite apply to injured starters Paul Blackburn and Frankie Montas whose loitering on the IL right now has no one begging for a return to the mound.

Blackburn doesn’t have the same upside as Montas, as minimal as it may seem in some of our eyes. Montas hasn’t been an All-Star caliber pitcher for several seasons. Still, he was one of the better pitchers in the league at his peak. Getting him back to that version is paramount for the Mets to justify paying him $17 million this year with a player option for next year. In comparison to Canning who is earning 4x less, the heat has been turned up on Montas to perform.

We’ve known for a while Montas wouldn’t be back until June or July at the earliest. Blackburn’s sudden injury right before Opening Day continues to sideline him with no timetable on a return. He’ll be someone the Mets can move on more swiftly from a financial standpoint. Montas is much different with his salary. As quick as the David Stearns Mets have been to cut players who aren’t performing, Montas’ contract is a different beast.

If Canning can show such vast improvement, Blackburn and Montas have no excuse but to do the same.