Mets’ Frankie Montas News Gets Even Worse Amid $17 Million Update

While Frankie Montas of the New York Mets hasn’t thrown the baseball at the level the team was expecting them to after signing him to a two-year deal, things got even worse earlier in the week. According to recent reports, it sounds like Montas will be out for the remainder of the campaign with an elbow injury and is expected to miss all of 2026. 

Despite that reality, Montas has a player option worth $17 million heading into next season. Whether he throws a pitch or not, Montas will get that money. 

According to Mark Feinsand of MLB.com, it’s a lock for Montas to opt into his deal. 

“Montas landed a two-year, $34 million deal from the Mets last winter despite an uneven season that saw him go 7-11 with a 4.84 ERA for the Reds and Brewers. His 2025 campaign has been worse; a lat injury cost him the first three months of the season, then he went 3-2 with a 6.28 ERA in nine outings (seven starts) before being removed from the rotation and eventually placed back on the injured list with a season-ending elbow injury. 

“Montas – who might require Tommy John surgery – is a lock to opt into the final year of his deal, guaranteeing himself $17 million in 2026 whether he pitches or not,” he wrote.

Can Frankie Montas Get His Past Form?

There isn’t much the New York Mets could’ve done in this scenario. At the peak of his career, Montas could be considered one of the better right-handers in Major League Baseball. Unfortunately, there were always concerning signs when he was throwing the baseball at the level he was a few years ago. Montas struggled on the road away from the Oakland Coliseum, but teams didn’t seem to worry about that too much. 

Regardless, it now sounds like the injury is much worse than anybody could’ve expected, with Jon Heyman of the New York Post reporting on Thursday that he has a full UCL tear, which will require surgery. 

“Frankie Montas’ has a UCL tear that will require surgery (and very likely the full Tommy John surgery, which would take him out for 2026, too). Montas will obviously pick up his $17 million 2026 option.

“Montas’ replacement, the phenomenal spinmeister Nolan McLean, came up not a moment too soon,” he reported

Frankie Montas Has Been a Disappointment for the Mets

There’s also a possibility that the New York Mets didn’t get the Montas they were expecting because of this injury. 

He plays at a high level at times, but for most of the past three-plus seasons, he falls short of his best.

According to skipper Carlos Mendoza, however, he thinks the injury might’ve played a factor.

“The [injury] probably has something to do with the past [outings],” Mendoza said, per Jared Greenspan of MLB.com. “The [velocity] was there, but maybe having an injury affected him with his secondary pitches. He didn’t feel anything. It was just more soreness the last couple of times — the last outing as a starter and then we put him in the bullpen. For him to come in the next day after he didn’t get in the game, for him it was like ‘Something’s off.’ We didn’t think anything of it because it was the biceps area.”

It certainly appears that this was a significant mistake for the Mets, and the $17 million mistake will only worsen their situation heading into next year.

Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.

This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

The post Mets’ Frankie Montas News Gets Even Worse Amid $17 Million Update appeared first on Heavy Sports.