Mets Face Tough Decision as Frankie Montas Injury Shakes Up Rotation
The New York Mets have been hit with an early setback for the 2025 MLB season, as newly signed pitcher Frankie Montas is expected to miss the start of the season due to a lat injury. While star slugger Juan Soto remains healthy, Montas was set to play a key role in the team’s revamped starting rotation. Now, the Mets must decide whether to stand pat or seek additional reinforcements.
Technically, New York has enough depth to weather Montas’ absence, with pitchers like Paul Blackburn, Griffin Canning, and Tylor Megill available. However, if the right opportunity presents itself, the Mets could opt to bolster their rotation with another arm.
One seemingly obvious choice is Jose Quintana, who has spent the past two seasons with the Mets and was particularly strong in the second half of 2024. Despite his familiarity with the team and his late-season success, the Mets appear hesitant to reunite with the veteran left-hander. According to Jon Heyman on The Baseball Insiders Podcast alongside FanSided’s Robert Murray, the organization is holding back due to specific concerns with his metrics.
“They don’t like the metrics with Quintana for some reason,” Heyman stated. “I’m not sure why—a 3.11 ERA in the second half is a pretty good metric for me. I’d take Quintana. He was good, he was liked. But it’s all about the numbers these days, all about the velocity, and he doesn’t have big velocity.”
Analytics Over Experience: Mets Hesitant to Bring Back Quintana
The reluctance from Mets president David Stearns and his team isn’t shocking given the club’s offseason approach. New York has focused on adding power arms, signing six pitchers—including Montas, Canning, Sean Manaea, Clay Holmes, A.J. Minter, and Ryne Stanek—all of whom throw significantly harder than Quintana. The softest thrower in that group, Manaea, averaged 92.3 mph on his fastball in 2024—still nearly two mph faster than Quintana’s 90.7 mph.
Velocity isn’t the only concern for the Mets. Despite Quintana’s impressive 3.18 ERA in the second half, underlying stats suggest he may have benefited from some favorable luck. His 3.89 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP) and .269 batting average on balls in play (BAbip) indicate he may be a regression candidate. His full-season numbers further support this narrative—while he posted a respectable 3.75 ERA over 31 starts and 170.1 innings, his 4.56 FIP and 4.52 expected ERA (xERA) suggest he wasn’t quite as dominant as the raw stats imply.
Is a Reunion Worth It for the Mets?
At 36 years old, Quintana remains a solid back-end starter, but the Mets must weigh whether adding him is truly necessary. While he’s an upgrade over internal options like Blackburn, Canning, and Megill, Montas is only expected to miss around 10 starts. With decent depth already in place, is it worth bringing back an aging pitcher who lacks strikeout ability and is likely to see further velocity decline?
Mets fans will undoubtedly remember Quintana fondly for his contributions down the stretch and in the postseason. However, nostalgia alone isn’t enough to justify another contract, especially when analytics suggest his 2025 season may not be as productive. For now, the Mets seem content to roll with what they have—unless the right opportunity arises to shake up their rotation once again.
