Mets giving up on once-maligned Reds pitcher confirms what Cincinnati knew all along

It wasn't that long ago that Frankie Montas was the Cincinnati Reds Opening Day starter. In case you forgot, Montas toed the rubber for the Reds first game of the 2024 season against the Washington Nationals. The right-hander logged six innings, didn't allow a run to score, and struck four batters en route to a Reds' season-opening win against the Nats.

Less than two years later, however, things have been turned upside down for the veteran hurler, and it now sounds as if his current team is ready to let him go. According to national MLB reporter Michael Marino, the New York Mets plan to DFA Montas this winter.

The move itself isn't necessarily surprising. Montas appeared in just nine games for the Mets in 2025 and posted an underwhelming 6.28 ERA across 38⅔ innings of work. Montas' season came to a crashing halt in August after he was diagnosed with a significant tear of the UCL in his right elbow. Montas underwent Tommy John surgery, and will miss the entire 2026 season.

Mets are giving up on Frankie Montas, confirming what the Reds knew all along

This latest move will bring Montas' career with the Mets to an end, and it's one that most logical baseball minds could have foreshadowed even last offseason. Not that Montas would wind up going under the knife, but he did nothing to earn a hefty contract this past winter. The Mets, however, decided to shell out $34 million over two years to bring the right-hander to Queens.

Cincinnati, of course, gave up on Montas rather quickly. Reds fans will remember that he was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers at the 2024 MLB trade deadline in exchange for right-hander Jakob Junis and outfielder Joey Wiemer. Both Junis and Wiemer are no longer part of the Reds organization, but Cincinnati saw enough of Montas during his 19 starts with the club to realize they needed a way out.

Montas is likely to linger on the free agent market for most of the offseason, though it's conceivable that a pitching-starved team could sign him to a two-year deal with the bulk of the salary coming in 2027. The Texas Rangers did that with another former Reds pitcher, Tyler Mahle, and it seemed to work out well for both sides.