No NY Mets quote aged as badly as what Frankie Montas said in January

It was late January and thoughts about the upcoming New York Mets season were mostly positive. The team had Juan Soto locked up in perpetuity. The new look rotation had questions, but as David Stearns showed from the previous year, there was reason for optimism.

Frankie Montas was among his offseason gambles. The veteran righty signed a one-year deal with a player option for a second season. Bad news from the start only to age with the grace of me trying to do ballet with two flat feet and a bad hip, a preseason quote from Montas that seemed way too optimistic looks even more foolish all of these months later.

Montas certainly wasn’t going to speak ill of himself and teammates. Five number ones? Their best starter this year began the year in Double-A and it’s not even close.

The Mets had confidence, they lacked durability, health, and talent

It was a laughable take for Montas to believe the Mets pitching staff actually had five number ones. We could see what he was saying. This was the easy way to put respect on the names of Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson. The five projected to have the most starts this year have all faced their challenges. Montas will probably never pitch for the Mets again.

When Montas spoke glowingly about the Mets pitching staff, the roster was loaded with options. Beyond those five, we had Griffin Canning looking to make an impact. Tylor Megill was headed into yet another season of trying to keep a spot. Paul Blackburn was another with his back up against the wall with an opportunity to force the Mets to keep him around. All three suffered injuries. Blackburn received his walking papers.

There isn’t an excuse for how poorly the rotation turned. At one point the team’s best attribute, albeit without enough innings to truly believe it was sustainable, we had a slight repeat of the 2024 campaign but without the late-season turnaround by the starting staff. A minor league demotion for Senga, a bullpen shift for Manaea, and a few guys left in the rotation who probably don’t belong have all turned the starting staff into a hope and a prayer. The bullpen never lived up to the hype following multiple trade deadline additions. A weapon as dangerous as a plastic spork, we’ve been left for the last month and a half hoping the opponent is only made of applesauce.

Preseason is always the time for optimism. Everyone is in the best shape of their life. Reunited times, like Montas and Manaea, will only speak glowingly of each other. That’s all a part of the media game. Go chalk. Make no waves. Believe in your teammates and have nothing but nice things to say.

The only mistake Montas made with this quote was getting too specific by calling himself and teammates number ones. It doesn’t help that everything goes to the internet and lasts forever.