Copyright yardbarker
The New York Mets announced their full slate of option decisions, including the previously-unreported (but completely unsurprising) news that Frankie Montas won’t be triggering the opt-out clause in his contract. The two-year, $34M contract Montas signed last offseason allowed the right-hander to walk away from the deal after the first season, but Montas will stay put and earn another $17M salary in 2026. Shoulder surgery wiped out almost all of Montas’ 2023 season, and he returned to action to post a 4.84 ERA over 150 2/3 innings with the Reds and Brewers in 2024. Despite the high ERA and some lackluster peripherals, Montas still landed the $34M guarantee in free agency, with the Mets investing in their belief that Montas could fully rebound to his past status as a front-of-the-rotation arm with the A’s. Instead, Montas delivered only a 6.28 ERA over 38 2/3 innings in 2025. Things got off to a rough start in Spring Training when Montas suffered a lat strain that delayed his season debut until June, and he then pitched so poorly that the Mets moved him to the bullpen. More major injury problems then emerged in late August, when Montas underwent a UCL-related surgery. The specific type of the surgery isn’t known, but Montas will be out until August 2026 at the earliest if he underwent “only” a brace procedure, and a full Tommy John procedure will sideline him the entirety of the 2026 campaign. Needless to say, it was a pretty easy call for Montas to remain in his Mets contract. Regardless of his health, he might have thrown his last pitch in a New York uniform anyway since the Mets may very well release the righty now that his option decision has been made. he Mets can’t put Montas on the 60-day injured list until Spring Training begins, and the team could decide that having an open 40-man roster spot is more valuable than keeping Montas around.
