5 best Mets free agent targets who won't cost them $100 million

2) Jordan Montgomery

Jordan Montgomery was a solid mid-rotation arm for the Yankees but has really elevated his game since being traded at the 2022 trade deadline. The southpaw was instrumental to St. Louis winning the NL Central last season, and was pitching well for them again this season before being traded to the Rangers.

Again, Montgomery has elevated his game even more since arriving in Texas. The southpaw had a 2.79 ERA in 11 starts and 67.2 innings pitched down the stretch. That continued into the postseason as he delivered seven shutout innings in Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Wild Card round for Texas. He allowed two runs or fewer in eight of his 11 regular season starts with the Rangers and 20 of his 32 starts overall. That kind of consistency is something this Mets rotation lacked this past season.

It's certainly possible Montgomery cracks the $100 million mark, but he's only really been this excellent version of himself for a season and a half. He's going to be 31 years old by the time he signs a deal, making it an interesting discussion as to whether teams will be willing to give him the five years or so that he'd need to get to nine figures.