Carlos Mendoza on Monday announced the Mets have shut down their new veteran righty Frankie Montas for at least six to eight weeks with a high-grade right lat strain suffered during his first bullpen session of the spring. After that recovery time, he will need a full spring-training style progression to rehab back before taking a mound for the 2025 season.
With Montas down, it is now “next man up” mentality for the Mets. But the question is, who fills out the rest of the rotation or fills in as a long reliever during Montas’ absence?
“We’ve got options,” said Mendoza remaining positive about the situation. “We’ve got depth. It’s still too early. Here we are dealing with an injury to one of our starters. We’ll continue to have these conversations.”
As it currently stands, should the remaining starters stay healthy, Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, and David Peterson who are slated to fill in the first four spots. The remaining two spots are up for grabs. And those could be filled internally or externally.
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
Internal Options
The Mets, as Mendoza stated, have options internally, including Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill.
The Mets acquired Blackburn shortly after the All-Star break last season from the Athletics in the trade that sent right-handed pitcher Kade Morris to the Athletics. Blackburn, however, threw for just under a month for the Mets before being placed on the injured list with a right-hand contusion followed by a spinal fluid leak four days after coming off of the injured list.
Between the Athletics and the Mets last season, he was 5-4 with a 4.66 ERA over the course of 14 starts. In 75 1/3 innings, he struck out 59, walked 21, allowed 39 earned runs and had a WHIP of 1.29
The question will be if Blackburn can stay healthy coming into 2025.
Canning was another offseason acquirement for the Mets. They signed the 28-year-old righty out of free agency in December.
Canning was with the Los Angeles Angels in 2024 and had a rough season. He was 6-13 with a 5.19 ERA in 32 games started. Over the course of 171 2/3 innings, he allowed 99 earned runs on 174 hits, walked 66, struck out 130 and had a 1.40 WHIP.
Megill had a rough 2024, struggling to find consistency at the big league level and bouncing his way to and from Triple-A Syracuse throughout the course of the season.
During his time at the Major League level, Megill was 4-5 with a 4.04 ERA in 15 starts and 78 innings. He allowed 35 earned runs on 70 hits, walked 32 and struck out 91. He finished the season with a 1.31 WHIP.
Management, as Mendoza mentioned in his press conference last week, will be looking for consistency for Megill throughout the course of camp in Port St. Lucie. Mendoza noted that Megill came into camp feeling good and that he believes Megill will be an important part of the roster this upcoming season.
The Mets also have depth down in the farm system with pitchers like Brandon Sproat and Blade Tidwell. Both received non-roster invites to spring training and are ones to watch throughout camp.
External Additions
Externally, the Mets still have the option to bring back left-handed pitcher Jose Quintana, who is still on the free agent market. Quintana was strong in 2024. Though he struggled at times with consistency, he’s a guy who has what it takes to fill a fifth starting spot for New York and knows the ins and the outs of the NL East and teams on the Mets’ schedule.
Quintana in 2024 was 10-10 with a 3.75 ERA over the course of 31 starts and 170 1/3 innings. He allowed just 71 earned runs on 150 hits, walked 63 and struck out 135. He finished the year with a 1.25 WHIP.
Other free agent options include:
Dylan Cease has also been mentioned in trade talks, though it’s less likely he’ll be moved before the season starts.
