Mets’ deal for Frankie Montas makes Astros’ pursuit of pitching nearly impossible.
Leave it to the New York Mets to ruin it for everybody. A week before the MLB Winter Meetings, the Mets decided to torpedo the market by signing Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million contract after an up-and-down season split between the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers.
Montas is a solid, yet unspectacular starter. Frankly, Cincinnati overpaid for Montas last winter after the right-hander logged just 1 ⅓ innings during the 2023 season with the New York Yankees. The Reds shelled out $16 million last winter to sign the veteran, and then dealt Montas to the Brewers at the trade deadline. Collectively, Montas went 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA.
Mets’ deal for Frankie Montas makes Astros’ pitching pursuit nearly impossible
So how does this affect the Houston Astros? Well, it’s definitely going to make it more difficult, if not impossible, for Houston to upgrade their starting rotation through free agency. It was surprising to see the free agent deal that Yusei Kikuchi was able to secure with the Los Angeles Angels, but at least the former Astros starter’s second half somewhat justified the Halos’ contract offer. The Mets’ massive overpay for Montas will up the price tag for nearly every other quality starter on the open market.
The #Mets are reportedly signing Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal.@Xavier_Scruggs on what Montas could bring to New York:#LGM
https://t.co/fGPbvbjGlC pic.twitter.com/m86H3W9FpB
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) December 2, 2024
Any crazy notion that Astros fans had of Houston pursuing a frontline starter like Corbin Burnes or Jack Flaherty has evaporated completely after Montas’ deal with the Mets. But even mid-tier free agent hurlers like Michael Lorenzen, Luis Severino, and Andrew Heaney might be out of the Astros’ price range. Houston will be fortunate to just find enough change between the couch cushions to sign Zach Davies or Domingo Germán.
The Astros entered the offseason with very little wiggle room when it came to free agent negotiations. If Houston is able to re-sign Alex Bregman, that wiggle room will likely be reduced even more. Astros owner Jim Crane will undoubtedly want to keep his team’s salary under the luxury tax threshold in order to avoid the penalty. Houston went over the threshold in 2024, and two consecutive years would result in a 30% tax.
Any additions Houston wants to make to the rotation this offseason may have to come through trades. The difficulty there, of course, is the lack of minor league depth in the Astros’ farm system. Dana Brown already had his work cut out for him this winter, and the Mets just added to his misery.
