The New York Mets reached an agreement with free agent starting pitcher Frankie Montas on Sunday night, signing him to a two-year contract worth $34 million.

Montas, 31, went 7-11 in 2024, pitching for the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers. A nine-year veteran of those two teams as well as the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics and Yankees, Montas is 44-46 with a 4.09 ERA.

He won 13 games for the A’s in 2021, finishing sixth in the American League Cy Young voting. Injuries hit him late in 2022 and he only made one appearance in 2023, but he made 30 starts in 2024. That level of reliability is still coveted by major league front offices.

While signing Montas is a good start, the Mets still have a lot of work to do this offseason on the pitching front. New York saw Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana enter free agency, so there are still at least two rotation spots to fill for the group that qualified for the National League Championship Series.

It remains to be seen how the Mets will handle these pitching needs moving forward. They are the favorite to sign outfielder Juan Soto, but if Soto rejects them, they could potentially move on to ace pitchers like Corbin Burnes or Max Fried. Manaea could also be interested in returning for a big deal.

Even if the Dishes If Soto lands, they can’t be counted on to make a splash in free agency, so big-name pitchers could be in play regardless. There’s also the trade market, where the Mets have a farm system capable of enticing opposing teams to make a deal.

Currently, Montas plays alongside Kodai Senga, David Peterson and Tylor Megill.

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