Pat Ragazzo of Mets on SI reports there is mutual interest in a reunion between the Mets and José Quintana. The Mets got bad news earlier this week when they found out right-handed starter Frankie Montas had a high-grade lat strain. They got some good news earlier on Wednesday when Montas said he would only be shut down for 4-6 weeks, an improvement over the previously projected 6-8 weeks.
Regardless of when he comes back, Montas will miss the start of the regular season,, which might prompt the Mets to add more starting depth. And Quintana is obviously a familiar face having pitched for the Mets the previous two seasons.
Quintana, 36, had a 3.75 ERA over 170 innings with the Mets in 2024, which is the most innings he has pitched since 2019. While his walks were the third-highest of his career at 3.3 BB/9, he set a career-low with his 7.9 hits per nine innings. He finished the 2024 season with a 3.14 ERA over three postseason starts.
Quintana is currently on the Team Colombia roster for the World Baseball Classic qualifier starting next month. The veteran lefty is scheduled to start Game 1 against Brazil on March 2.
The Mets’ top rotation looks settled with Sean Manaea, Kodai Senga, David Peterson, and Clay Holmes. Tylor Megill and Griffin Canning are battling this spring for that No. 5 spot. We recently examined how the Mets could replace Montas.
