Reds' failed 2024 free agent signee remarkably inks overpriced deal with Mets

When the Cincinnati Reds signed Frankie Montas to a one-year, $16 million deal last offseason, it raised a few eyebrows. After all, the right-hander was coming off a lost season with the New York Yankees during which he appeared in just one game.

Montas was named the Reds' Opening Day starter and had an up-and-down season in 2024. Ultimately, Cincinnati decided to cut bait with the veteran hurler and traded Montas to the Milwaukee Brewers at the July 30th deadline.

But despite Montas' 4.84 ERA in 30 starts last season, the New York Mets saw something they liked. Late on Sunday night, Montas reportedly agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the Mets. The deal includes an opt out after the 2025 season.

Former Reds' pitcher Frankie Montas remarkably inks overpriced deal with NY Mets

Mets' owner Steve Cohen has deep pockets and he's not afraid to spend (or overspend) if it means that his team will be well positioned to bring home its first World Series championship since 1986. But handing over a deal worth $17 million per season to Montas seems rather silly, doesn't it?

Montas proved one thing in 2024 — he was healthy. After a shoulder injury kept him on the shelf for all but 1 ⅓ innings in 2023, Montas logged 150 ⅔ innings between his time with the Reds and Brewers in 2024. The 31-year-old was credited with being a phenomenal mentor for Hunter Greene and Cincinnati's other young pitchers, but the production was nowhere near what one would expect from a supposed frontline starter. Montas' 3.9 walks per nine innings pitched were right in line with his 2020 performance that saw him post an unsightly 5.60 ERA in 11 starts with the Oakland Athletics.

Montas will now join a shaky Mets' rotation that lost both Sean Manaea and Luis Severino to free agency this offseason. Though a reunion with one or both of the veterans is not out of the question, adding Montas likely spells the end of line for at least one of the Mets' starters from a year ago. New York, however, has been linked to some of the top talent on the free agent market this winter, including Juan Soto and Corbin Burnes.

Montas' rather hefty price tag shows exactly why the Reds' took the trade route in order to bolster their starting rotation this offseason. Just last week, the Reds acquired Brady Singer from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Jonathan India and Joey Wiemer. That deal looks like a steal given what New York paid in order to ink Montas to a free agent contract.

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