Mets make Montas signing official

NEW YORK (AP) — Frankie Montas and the New York Mets finalized their $34 million, two-year contract on Wednesday.

The veteran right-hander will earn a $17 million salary next year and the deal includes a $17 million player option for 2026. He gets a hotel suite on road trips.

Montas, who turns 32 in March, went 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA and 148 strikeouts over 150 2/3 innings in 30 starts for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers this year. He was 3-3 with a 4.55 ERA in 11 starts for the NL Central champion Brewers, who acquired him just before the July 30 trade deadline. After joining Milwaukee, his strikeout rate increased from 19% to 28.7%.

Montas declined his part of a $20 million mutual option last month, receiving a $2 million buyout.

“We are excited to bring Frankie into the organization and add a quality arm to our major league rotation,” Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said in a statement. “Throughout his career, Frankie has flashed some of the best stuff in the game. He’ll provide a stabilizing presence to our pitching staff and can contribute on and off the field.”

Even with the addition of Montas, the Mets have more work to do with their rotation. Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana became free agents after helping the team make a surprising run to the National League Championship Series this year.

New York also is looking for bullpen arms in front of closer Edwin Díaz, and longtime first baseman Pete Alonso became a free agent after hitting 34 homers this year.

The club signed left-handed reliever Génesis Cabrera and first baseman Joey Meneses to minor league deals late last month. Both were invited to big league spring training.

Montas is 44-46 with a 4.09 ERA in 129 starts and 31 relief appearances over nine major league seasons, and also pitching for the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and New York Yankees.

He had shoulder surgery with the Yankees that caused him to miss nearly the entire 2023 season.

Montas had his best season with the A's in 2021, going 13-9 with a 3.37 ERA and a career-high 207 strikeouts in 187 innings to finish sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting.

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AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB