Frankie Montas signing gives Mets a Juan Soto advantage over New York neighbors

The New York Mets didn't let their ongoing pursuit of Juan Soto hold up the rest of their offseason plans, getting started on rebuilding a depleted starting rotation by signing right-hander Frankie Montas to a two-year, $34 million deal late Sunday night. There's plenty to like about the deal; Montas is coming off an up-and-down season with the Milwaukee Brewers in 2024, but he showed flashes of recapturing his old effectiveness, enough to give fans reason to think that he could be next year's version of Luis Severino or Sean Manaea.

But because all roads lead back to Soto right now, all Mets fans wanted to focus on was what this said about their team's pursuit of the superstar outfielder. If you're focusing on the fact that Montas is also a Scott Boras client, though, you're missing the forest for the trees. The Montas signing does signify that New York has an edge in the Soto sweepstakes, particularly over the crosstown rival Yankees. But not for the reason you might think.

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Frankie Montas underlines key Mets edge over Yankees in Juan Soto sweepstakes

We know that one of Soto's biggest priorities as a free agent is player development. It was one of the first things he asked teams about during in-person meetings back in November; if he's going to sign a 13- or 14-year contract with a team, he wants to be sure that said team has the ability to consistently put competitive rosters around him.

That, not Boras, is where the Montas signing comes into play for the Mets. Once upon a time, the righty as a borderline All-Star with the Oakland Athletics, posting a 117 ERA+ over 70 starts across his first four seasons and even finishing sixth in AL Cy Young voting in 2021. He was in the midst of another solid season in 2022 when the Yankees acquired him at the trade deadline ... and promptly send his career sideways.

Montas was a disaster in New York, pitching to a 6.35 ERA in 2022 and making just one start in 2023 before being lost for the year due to injury. A guy who had once seemed like a rock-solid No. 2 or 3 starter was now fighting for his career, signing with the Cincinnati Reds on a one-year deal last winter to try and rebuild some of his value. If that sounds like a familiar story, it should: It's just about the same thing that happened to Luis Severino, who was a disaster for the Yankees in 2023 before rebounding with the Mets this past season.

If Soto is trying to decide which of the two New York teams will give him a better chance to compete for titles over the course of his contract, the above is pretty good evidence that the answer is the Mets. The Yankees ruined Montas, just like they ruined Sonny Gray before him, and they couldn't figure out how to fix Severino until the Mets did it for them. The Mets, meanwhile, have a lead exec in David Stearns who's made a habit out of this, masterfully picking pitchers off the scrap heap in 2024 after years of doing more with less in Milwaukee.

It's no guarantee that it'll be enough to land Soto in the end, but if winning is the main thing, the Mets can make a pretty solid argument.