Insider urges Mets to re-sign depth starter amid Frankie Montas injury

Could the New York Mets make a call to this free agent pitcher after Frankie Montas' injury?

Sep 12, 2024; San Francisco, California, USA; Milwaukee Brewers starting pitcher Frankie Montas (47) between pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images / Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

When the New York Mets signed right-handed pitcher Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million contract at the beginning of December, the expectation was that he was going to be a mid-tier rotation piece for the Mets with the potential to blossom into an ace-level arm.

While there's still a possibility that happens, Montas' 2025 timeline was dealt a brutal blow once news broke on Monday that he suffered a high-grade lat strain and will be sidelined for 6-8 weeks.

While adding depth to the rotation was a focus for the Mets' front office this offseason, nobody could have predicted that this depth would come into play just a few days into spring training.

Now New York must decide what to do with this hole in their rotation. While they have other potential starters available, there are also arms still available in free agency. And according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, there's one free agent pitcher who's the perfect fit.

"Fortunately for the Mets, the obvious and easy answer is a pitcher who’s just sitting at home waiting for the phone to ring. It wouldn’t cost them a prospect, or very much money, either.

"Jose Quintana is a guy they all loved last year, and I can’t figure out why they haven’t brought him back already, or frankly, why he doesn’t have any job. The Mets should view this as an opportunity," Heyman wrote in a February 17 article.

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"Without much trouble or expense, they could bring back a guy they admire, a guy who pitched superbly in the second half, and a guy who may still be that rarest thing in free agency — yes, a bona fide bargain. With no other job and presumably few other options, Quintana might come for around $5M. (Though, the Mets are over the Steve Cohen tax threshold, so with the 110 percent tax, they’d be paying $10.5M.)"

After discussing trading for Dylan Cease as an option (which the Mets don't seem keen on doing), Heyman later added, "The easier route is Quintana, a veteran and professional who’s already respected by everyone in the Mets clubhouse, who posted every start last year and fashioned a 3.11 ERA in a second half that should have led to a happy free agency for him."

Anybody who watched the Mets last season saw how crucial Quintana was to their success. And if they can get him back on a bargain deal, perhaps Quintana's lingering free agency could become a blessing in disguise.

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