The Mets introduced their biggest acquisition this offseason — so far — in Frankie Montas on Friday afternoon.
Montas, 31, is a bit of a reclamation project for the Mets after an injury-plagued tenure with the Yankees and an up-and-down 2024 season with the Reds and Brewers.
With the free agent market heating up, and a starting rotation to build, the Mets plunked down a two-year, $34 million deal (with a player option after the first year) earlier this month. In his introductory Zoom call with the media, Montas was asked why he chose to sign with the Mets and the adjustments he’s made physically and mentally to get him ready for the 2025 season and beyond.
Why Frankie Montas chose the Mets
Montas has relationships with two former Mets pitchers: Luis Severino and Sean Manaea from his time with the Yankees and Athletics, respectively.
The right-hander said that both starters told him all the good things about the organization and how their resources “take your game to the next level.” Montas cited how three pitchers last year pitched more than 170 innings, a mark Montas has only achieved once (2021).
“I got to see [the resources] a little bit of it when I was in New York these couple of days,” Montas explained. “The way they prepare guys, the way they help with your recovery… I’m definitely excited for next year and see how they can help me improve my game.”
Last season, Montas pitched to a 7-11 record and a 4.84 ERA in 150.2 innings, the most he’s pitched since 2022. But it wasn’t just the resources, Montas talked about how the Mets organization is willing to do what it takes to win, which was another big reason for his decision.
“That’s a team that’s hungry to win. They are coming for everything,” he said. “The way that they contacted me, to bring me to this team it just let me know they are serious about what they are doing. Why not join them? It’s a team that has one of the toughest lineups to face. I got the privilege to face them and I know how tough they are. I wanted to be a part of that for sure.”
Pitching adjustments
The story of Montas’ 2024 was the adjustments he made when he was traded from the Reds to the Brewers mid-season.
With the Reds, Montas pitched to a 4-8 record, a 5.01 ERA and a 7.5 K/9 in 19 starts. Once he got to Milwaukee, those numbers improved. He pitched to a modest 3-3 record and a 4.55 ERA but his K/9 jumped to 11.0.
Montas was asked about how those changes came to be.
“To be honest, the biggest adjustment I made was trusting my arm,” he explained. “It took me a couple months to trust my arm, not just my arm but myself. Stop telling myself you aren’t gonna get hurt… Tell your arm, whatever you have in there is fixed and just let it eat. That’s when you see increase in velo, my arm angle was higher cause I wasn’t afraid to throw.”
Montas underwent shoulder surgery before the 2023 season when he was with the Yankees and while he worked to get back, the right-hander admitted the process to getting that mindset back took some time.
“For the last 2 months when I was in Milwaukee, I was getting back to my old self. Throwing the ball and trusting my stuff. Feeling good. Finally having a healthy arm, not have to worry about recovery because it was on point,” he said. “The way my arm responds to me after games, after throwing 100 pitches and throwing long toss which were things I wasn’t able to do when my arm was hurt.
“I was out for a year, come back this year and trying to come back to my old self. I’m just trying to blow through people’s doors. And the Mets will help me do that.”
Preparing for his return to New York
When Montas was traded to the Yankees from Oakland, he struggled. In nine appearances (eight starts) with New York he pitched to a 6.15 ERA and his K/9 was just 7.5.
The pressure of New York and his physical health did not help the mental side of Montas’ game but he credits the Brewers for helping him get back to a mindset more akin to his time with the Athletics.
“When I got to Milwaukee, the pitching coach there Chris Hook was my pitching coach in the Fall League in 2014,” Montas explained. “We had a sit down to talk. He told me you’ve always been a power pitcher, trust your stuff. We fixed a few mechanical stuff, raised my arm angle, helped me with my slider and splitter. Creating the same angle on all my pitches. Helped me go over the bump, and trust myself a little more. He was one of the key guys to help me trust myself again.”
