As per Matt Ehalt of The Record, the New York Mets are prepared to trade 27-year-old right-hander Rafael Montero if a deal can be worked out.
Montero has not performed well this spring. In 8.2 innings of Grapefruit League work, he’s got an 8.31 ERA, 1.85 WHIP, 10 strikeouts and five walks.
With a logjam in the Mets’ rotation already and what looks to be a full relief corps taking shape, Montero finds himself without a spot and out of minor-league options.
According to Ehalt’s sources, teams have shown interest in the 27-year-old. Trading him would open up a spot on the 40-man roster.
A native of Higuerto, DR, Montero was signed by the Mets as a free-agent in 2011. In 192.1 career innings, he’s pitched to a 5.38 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, with 8.6 strikeouts-per-nine and 5.1 walks-per-nine.
The franchise has been waiting for Montero to develop into the mid-to-high end starter he was projected to for some time now.
Last summer, the team and fans alike finally got a glimpse of what Rafael Montero could still one day become. In 12.1 innings in June, Montero pitched to a 1.46 ERA, letting up two earned runs, striking out 15 and walking only four.
The highlight of his season, and possibly his still-young career, came in an Aug. 30 start in Cincinnati, against the Reds. In 8.1 innings Montero allowed just three hits and struck out eight batters.
His hot stretch in June and his career-game in August will most likely be Mets’ GM Sandy Alderson’s strongest selling points as he tries to move the bewildering young talent.
