There's only one NY Mets move to make after losing Frankie Montas to injury

After losing Frankie Montas to at least the end of May with a high-grade lat strain, bringing Jose Quintana back into the New York Mets organization is a no brainer. Not only would Quintana be relatively cheap, but he was extremely efficient in 2024.

Bringing Jose Quintana back to the NY Mets is a no brainer

Quintana finished last season with a 3.75 ERA in 31 starts. The lefty did have a 8.27 ERA over four August starts but it’s important that he was able to self-correct at a crucial part of the season. He was extremely effective in the playoffs, throwing six scoreless innings in game five against Milwaukee and once again allowed zero earned runs in a game four win over the Phillies. Ironically, Quintana was better than Montas in every major stat category last season.

Bringing Quintana back to Queens would be an easy transition. He knows the organization well and has spent the last two seasons with Jeremy Hefner. He is the only free agent starting pitcher still on the market that I would even consider bringing into the fold. At this point bringing him back into the mix right away would ensure he is ready for Opening Day or shortly after.

This would also allow the Mets to keep their six-man rotation which will be crucial for guys like Kodai Senga and Clay Holmes. With the six-to-eight-week timeline that Carlos Mendoza provided, it is likely we don’t see Montas until at least June but when he eventually joins the rotation the Mets will then have an abundance of starters.

If everyone is pitching well, this can be a good problem to have. If not, there are solutions. Tylor Megill does have minor league options left which makes him an easy guy to move if he isn’t pitching up to par. Guys like Paul Blackburn and Griffin Canning could be as easily expendable. Last summer the front office showed no problem getting rid of dead weight, even if they had to eat some money. Adrian Houser, Omar Narvaez and Joey Wendle all quickly became an afterthought once they made it clear they couldn’t help the team win.

Outside of Senga, the Mets starting rotation managed to stay healthy for most of 2024. Fans know that it is a rarity in today’s game. You can never have too much starting pitching depth and bringing Quintana back is a move the organization needs to make to make sure this group isn’t playing catch up late in the summer like they were in 2024.