Ex-Mets GM suggests team should trade for starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery

With the Mets' rotation hit with two brutal injuries, former GM Jim Duquette thinks trading for Jordan Montgomery should be an option.

Sep 22, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Jordan Montgomery (52) pitches in the first inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Spring training has not gotten off to an ideal start for the New York Mets and their pitching rotation, as the team has lost two starters for the foreseeable future.

Newly signed starting pitcher Frankie Montas will be shut down for six to eight weeks with a high-grade lat strain, and 2024 ace Sean Manaea was also placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain which will likely keep him out for the start of the regular season.

With the Mets' rotation very thin heading into the season, there has been chatter about how the team will fill the voids that Montas and Manaea are leaving, whether it will happen internally or externally.

While there hasn't been any sudden panic inside the Mets camp about how they will address these key losses, this former general manager is suggesting New York should trade for this lefty hurler.

During Tuesday's episode of Baseball Night in New York on SNY, former Mets GM and current baseball analyst Jim Duquette thinks the team should trade for Arizona Diamondbacks starter Jordan Montgomery in exchange for outfielder Starling Marte.

"There is an interesting way you could maybe match up with the Diamondbacks on this. Starling Marte's salary is very close to Jordan Montgomery's," Duquette said. "I think the Mets would be getting still a very good starting pitcher, he has something to prove you know he can pitch in New York, he's still young...it's hard to find a fit for Marte right now."

Can the Mets bolster their starting rotation in the trade market? Could Jordan Montgomery be an option?@JimDuquetteGM, @AlbaneseLaura, @BerbarionAir and @nikilattarulo discuss the Mets' options on BNNY: https://t.co/c3OSpxSdD8

➡️ Tri-State @Cadillac pic.twitter.com/9SjE648yNf

— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) February 26, 2025

It shouldn't be surprising that Marte is included in Duquette's trade proposal, as the Mets reportedly tried to trade the veteran outfielder earlier this offseason. In a February 14 article, Pat Ragazzo of On SI reported that the Amazins' had a trade in place with the Kansas City Royals for reliever Hunter Harvey in exchange for Marte during the Winter Meetings, but the deal never transpired.

The Mets are still open to trading Starling Marte if the right deal arises, but the current expectation is that he will stick with the club in 2025, sources tell Mets On SIhttps://t.co/dSgsBdjpft

— Pat Ragazzo (@ragazzoreport) February 14, 2025

Read More: Mets take cautious approach with Kodai Senga in spring training

Despite Montgomery struggling mightily last season in his first year with the Diamondbacks, which saw him pitch to a 6.23 ERA in 25 games (21 starts), the 32-year-old's success in the past as a starter should be taken into consideration by the Mets.

Montgomery is only two years removed from going 4-2 with a 2.79 ERA across 11 regular starts with the Texas Rangers in 2023; he additionally played a major factor in the Rangers' postseason run that led them to their first World Series title in franchise history. The lefty also has experience pitching in New York; he spent his first five and a half seasons with the New York Yankees, where he was very sharp (3.94 ERA in 502.2 innings).

As for Marte, the 36-year-old was fairly solid last season with a .269/.327/.388 slash line, seven home runs, and 16 stolen bases in 94 games. While he may be the odd man out in a highly talented outfield, Marte can still be an important veteran presence to a contending team, especially one as young as the Diamondbacks.

Marte had also played well in a brief stint with Arizona; back in 2020, he hit .311/.384/.443 in 33 games as a Diamondback before being traded at the deadline.

With Marte on an expiring contract heading into this season and the Mets in dire need of starting pitching help, this trade proposal could end up working out very well for both sides.