The New York Mets are going for it in 2024. The blue and orange were active at the trade deadline, filling a positional weakness by acquiring Jesse Winker and adding a starting pitcher in Paul Blackburn. However, the organization attempted to improve one position group above all: the bullpen.
Over the past several weeks, president of baseball operations David Stearns has acquired Matt Gage, Phil Maton, Alex Young, Ryne Stanek, Tyler Zuber, and Huascar Brazobán.
However, there is a saying in baseball that you can never have enough pitching, and could that lead to the blue and orange reuniting with one of their former top prospects?
The Mets could pursue Rafael Montero
Rafael Montero was once viewed as a top pitching prospect in the Mets system and so highly regarded that the organization planned to put eventual franchise icon and two-time Cy Young Award winner Jacob deGrom in the bullpen to make room for the right-hander.
Montero never quite turned into that elite starter but has carved himself a nice career as a bullpen arm.
However, since signing a three-year deal worth $34.5 million with the Houston Astros following a World Series-winning campaign that Montero played a crucial part in, the Dominican Republic native hasn’t pitched to the same level, leading to him being designated for assignment by the Astros earlier this week.
The 33-year-old pitched 38.1 innings across 41 appearances before his release to a 4.70 ERA with a 1.409 WHIP while striking out 23.
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Why Montero could make sense for the Mets
While Montero’s numbers haven’t been the best over the past two seasons, the Dominican Republic native is at least worth a look.
One, the 33-year-old is likely heading to free agency with no team picking him up off waivers due to his high cap hit and Montero having enough service time to deny an assignment to Triple-A while still being paid the money remaining in his contract. This means that bringing the right-hander in would cost just the veteran’s minimum, which is not much of a risk.
In addition, Montero has an excellent playoff pedigree, with a 2.51 ERA across 15 postseason appearances. The signing would also allow the Dominican Republic native to reunite with a pair of arms in Stanek and Maton, who were around the last time he had sustained success.
Montero could just need a change of scenery to perform at an elite level again and is worth considering for the Mets as they gear up for the stretch run.
