Frankie Montas Agrees to Two-Year, $34 Million Deal with New York Mets

Frankie Montas is headed to the Big Apple.

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball pitcher, a right-hander, has agreed to a two-year, $34 million contract with the New York Mets, per ESPN sources.

Frankie MontasWith Montas’ deal, the Mets add a veteran to a thinned-out rotation in the team’s first free agent signing of what’s bound to be a busy winter.

Montas joins Kodai Senga and David Peterson among Mets starters after Sean ManaeaLuis Severino and Jose Quintana reached free agency.

While a reunion with any of the three pitchers who anchored New York’s playoff rotation is not out of the question, the Mets pivoted to Montas, who can opt out of the deal — which is pending a physical — after the first season.

Montas has shown flashes of frontline starter potential, with a splitter, slider and cutter complementing a fastball that sits around 96 mph.

The Cincinnati Reds gave him a one-year, $16 million deal last year despite Montas throwing only 1⅓ innings in 2023 following arthroscopic shoulder surgery. The team eventually traded Montas to the Milwaukee Brewers and he finished the season with a 4.84 ERA over 150⅔ innings, with 148 strikeouts, 66 walks and 24 home runs allowed.

With the free agency of the three pitchers, first baseman Pete Alonso, designated hitter J.D. Martinez, outfielder Harrison Bader and the ending of payments on Justin Verlander‘s and Max Scherzer‘s salaries, the Mets have shaved around $150 million off their payroll from last season.

They remain among the favorites to sign superstar outfielder Juan Soto, who shares an agent, Scott Boras, with Montas. New York has engaged in conversations about a vast array of free agents beyond Soto, though signing him to a record deal would not preclude the Mets from pursuing other big names.

New York is coming off a surprising run to the National League Championship Series. In what was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Mets, they snuck into the playoffs with a furious late-season run, ousted Milwaukee in the wild-card round, thumped Philadelphia in the division series and pushed the NLCS to six games against the eventual World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.

Starting pitching was a fundamental part of their run. Despite losing Senga, their Opening Day starter, for the majority of the season, the Mets finished with a 3.91 starters’ ERA, getting better-than-expected seasons from Manaea, Severino and Quintana, all of whom were signed to short-term deals similar to Montas’.

Teoscar Hernández Helps Lead Los Angeles Dodgers into the 2024 World Series

Teoscar Hernández has returned to form just in time to help his team reach the World Series.

The 32-year-old Dominican professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers and teammate Will Smith, mired in weeks-long slumps, turned it on when they needed to most.

Teoscar Hernández In the end, they helped propel the Los Angeles Dodgers into the World Series and create the matchup that will captivate an entire nation.

The 2024 Dodgers were initially defined by their stars. As their season evolved, they were thwarted by injuries. And when adversity hit, they were bolstered by the sum of their parts — by a fellowship that empowered them.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts alluded to it on the makeshift stage that was set up on Dodger Stadium‘s outfield grass Sunday night, in the wake of a 10-5, pennant-clinching victory over the New York Mets in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series, when he repeated an oft-used phrase.

“I’ve never believed in a group of guys more than I believe in these guys,” Roberts shouted to the fans after setting up a highly anticipated, final-round showdown against the New York Yankees. “Most importantly, they believe in each other.” 

It was built.

“The way this collective group has come together has created that environment and culture,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said amid a celebratory clubhouse, his clothes drenched in beer. “There are a lot of people that contributed to that, but it really does take an entire group coming together to create something special.”

The Dodgers splurged more than $1 billion in a winter that saw them add Shohei OhtaniYoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow, among others. But the following autumn presented a dizzying array of challenges. They needed to overcome a rotation that had been whittled to three starting pitchers after injuries knocked out Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Gavin Stone and Emmet Sheehan. They needed to figure out how to get consistent offensive production even though their No. 3 hitter, Freddie Freeman, was severely hampered by a sprained right ankle.

Mostly, though, they needed to conquer the layoff.

The past two years had seen the Dodgers secure first-round byes only to get knocked out in the ensuing division series by inferior NL West rivals. Their success this October, the players believed, would hinge on how they would treat the five days between the end of their regular season and the start of their postseason.

“This year,” Max Muncy said, “it was very player driven.”

The Dodgers wanted to recapture the comradery they felt when they won the championship at the end of the COVID-19-shortened season of 2020, while quarantined in a hotel for three weeks. The off time was their opportunity. They spent at least eight hours together at the ballpark every day, even when they weren’t working out. They watched the other playoff games. They ate. They talked. They set a tone.

“‘We all love our family; there’s no question about that,'” Muncy said, recalling a conversation at the start of the playoffs. “‘We’re not questioning you as a father. We know you want to be the best husband you can be. But, boys, I need three weeks out here. We need three weeks. After three weeks, we win that World Series, we get that parade, you can be the best dad, best husband, in the world.’ When that message got sent out, and everybody really thought about it, it was like, ‘Absolutely.'”

Their togetherness showed in their perseverance. When the Dodgers fell to the brink of elimination in the NL Division Series, they rallied around a bullpen game to win in front of a hostile San Diego Padres crowd in Game 4 and came back home to dispatch an exceedingly talented Padres team in Game 5. When they lost Game 2 of the NLCS, merely splitting their first two games from Dodger Stadium, they responded by combining for 18 runs from New York’s Citi Field in Games 3 and 4.

And when they came back home for Game 6, one win away from their first World Series trip in four years, they continually applied pressure on the resurgent Mets.

Edman drove in four early runs, supplying a two-run double in the first inning and a two-run homer in the third to up his RBI total to 11 in this series, while on his way to being named NLCS MVP. Smith, who entered 5-for-36 this postseason, added a two-run homer later in the bottom of the third. Ohtani contributed an RBI single in the sixth, his eighth hit in 13 at-bats with runners on base this postseason. And a cavalcade of relievers — Michael KopechBen Casparius, Anthony Banda, Ryan Brasier, Evan Phillips, Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen, in that order — constantly thwarted Mets rallies.

Said Roberts: “I think they proved to themselves how tough they are.”

 

All told, the Dodgers scored an NLCS-record 46 runs against the Mets, a team they outscored by 22 runs. They became the second team with four wins of six-plus runs in a single playoff series, joining the 2007 Boston Red Sox, and the first team with eight-plus runs four times in a single LCS, according to ESPN Research.

Ohtani lived up to expectations, setting a Dodgers record by reaching base safely 17 times in the NLCS. But Muncy tied a postseason record by reaching base in 12 consecutive plate appearances; Mookie Betts shook off an 0-for-22 postseason slump that spanned the past two Octobers by slashing .342/.419/.763 over his past nine playoff games; Hernandez went from going hitless in 18 NLCS at-bats to contributing two big hits early in Game 6; Kiké Hernández continued to thrive in October, adding a couple of home runs to give him 15 in 81 career postseason games; and Edman, moved to the cleanup spot with Freeman absent, drove in more runs than he ever has in a six-game span.

The Dodgers will now advance to their fourth World Series since 2017 and still seek their first traditional championship, with a full-fledged parade on the streets of Los Angeles, since 1988.

Pete Alonso Hits Improbable Home Run to Keep New York Mets in the NLCS Hunt

Pete Alonso helps his New York Mets stay in the game… 

The 29-year-old half-Spanish American professional baseball player, nicknamed “Polar Bear,” hit an improbable home run on Friday to set the tone for the night.

Pete AlonsoThe Mets first baseman hit a first-inning slider from the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Jack Flaherty at his feet to deep center field, a three-run, 432-foot blast that put the New York offense in gear in an eventual 12-6, season-saving win in Game 5 of the National League Championship Series.

The home run wasn’t a pitching mistake as much as it was a hitting marvel.

Alonso made contact on a pitch that was 1.12 feet above the ground, the second-lowest ball hit for a home run in the postseason in the pitch-tracking era (since 2008).

“I was just looking for something over the middle of the plate,” Alonso said when asked to explain how he got the barrel of the bat on Flaherty’s pitch. “I didn’t really realize how low the pitch was. I got caught a little out front. … Honestly, it’s inexplainable. It’s the magic of the postseason. And I’m just happy I squared it up.”

The home run sparked an incredible night for the Mets’ offense, one that did not include a strikeout by any New York hitter. It marked the first time a team hasn’t struck out in a postseason game since the Los Angeles Angels in the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants.

“We didn’t strike out?” outfielder Jesse Winker said when informed of the accomplishment. “We didn’t strike out? Wow. I don’t think I’ve been part of a game like that. That’s amazing. We just have to keep doing that.”

The turnaround against Flaherty was striking. He shut out the Mets over seven innings in a Game 1 win but lasted only three innings in Game 5, giving up eight runs, eight hits and four walks.

“We didn’t chase his secondary pitches,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We know he’s got that slider and the knuckle curve and he’s going to try to make us chase, and we didn’t do that today. And when he came in the zone with his fastball, we were ready, and that’s the key.”

After the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts revealed Flaherty wasn’t feeling his best.

“He wasn’t sharp, clearly,” Roberts said. “He’s been fighting something. He’s been under the weather a little bit. So I don’t know if that bled into the stuff, the velocity.”

Flaherty averaged 91.4 mph on his fastball in Game 5, down from 92.6 in Game 1. His regular-season average was 93.3 mph.

After the loss, the veteran right-hander didn’t address how he felt during the game but offered this explanation for his issues: “I felt like for the first time in a while I let the game speed up on me a little bit and didn’t make the adjustments in-game.”

Roberts could have pulled him earlier, but knowing his team had a cushion in the series, he left him in while the Mets built a big lead.

As much as Flaherty struggled, credit has to go to the Mets, who had 14 hits, including four by Starling Marte and three by Francisco Alvarez.

“When it comes to hitting, at that point you just have to rely on capitalizing on the mistakes that the pitcher makes,” Marte said. “And thankfully that’s what I’ve been able to do in terms of getting the results.”

Though the Dodgers didn’t go quietly, the 43,841 fans at Citi Field saw the Mets respond every time.

The win sends the series back to Los Angeles for Game 6 on Sunday.

On paper, the Mets have the starting pitching edge as Sean Manaea will get the ball on five days’ rest; the Dodgers have planned a bullpen game.

“We’ve had our backs against the wall all season,” Mets designated hitter J.D. Martinez said. “Why should this be any different?”

Manny Machado Finalizing 11-Year, $350 Million Contract Extension with San Diego Padres

Manny Machado is thisclose to a major (league) deal…

The 30-year-old Dominican American professional baseball player and star third baseman and the San Diego Padres are finalizing an 11-year, $350 million contract extension, according to ESPN.

Manny MachadoMachado said earlier this week he intended to opt out of the final five years (and $150 million) of his current contract with the Padres following the season after preliminary negotiations on an extension broke down.

While Machado had set a February 16 deadline to reach a new deal, conversations continued between Machado’s agent, Dan Lozano of MVP Sports, and Padres general manager A.J. Preller. The deal is expected to be official soon.

The franchise cornerstone of an ascendant franchise, Machado is coming off arguably the best season of his career, hitting .298/.366/.531 with 32 home runs and 102 RBIs. He finished second in National League MVP voting and led the Padres to the National League Championship Series, where they were ousted by the Philadelphia Phillies.

Machado’s arrival in San Diego in 2019 on a 10-year, $300 million deal signaled a new era for the Padres, who have yet to win a World Series in their 54-year history.

Shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. joined the Padres as a rookie during Machado’s first season in San Diego, and while the team struggled to a 70-92 finish, it thrived in the COVID 19-shortened 2020 season, got a significant boost with the acquisition of star outfielder Juan Soto last year and continued to spend this winter with the signing of shortstop Xander Bogaerts to an 11-year, $280 million contract.

The deal is the fourth-largest guarantee in the game’s history, behind those for Aaron Judge, Mike Trout and Mookie Betts.

Robert Suarez Agrees to $46 Million, Five-Year Contract with San Diego Padres

Robert Suarez has landed a father of a deal…

The 31-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher and reliever has agreed to remain with the San Diego Padres under a $46 million, five-year contract, according to multiple reports.

Robert Suarez The deal, pending a physical, was first reported by MLB Network. Suarez can opt out after three years and become a free agent again, the reports said.

Suarez, a rookie, was having a terrific postseason until allowing Bryce Harper‘s go-ahead, two-run homer with no outs in the eighth inning of Game 5 of the National League Championship Series that sent the Philadelphia Phillies to the World Series.

Manager Bob Melvin was criticized by some for letting Suarez pitch to Harper instead of using left-hander Josh Hader. Melvin said Hader wasn’t ready when Harper came to bat and that he wanted to get through the final three innings with Suarez and Hader, the Padres’ two best relievers. Melvin said he wanted to get two outs from Suarez in the eighth and the final four outs from Hader. Philadelphia won 4-3.

Suarez, who is represented by Amuse Sports, will make salaries of $10 million in each of the first three years of the deal and $8 million in the last two. Additionally, he can make up to $3 million per season if he finishes a certain number of games. Those incentives will pay off if Hader is not retained after his contract expires following next season and Suarez becomes the closer.

Suarez was especially impressive in the NL Division Series win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, throwing four scoreless innings in three appearances. He pitched two scoreless innings in a wild-card series win against the New York Mets.

He went 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA in 45 appearances during the regular season.

Albert Pujols to Play in Dominican Professional Baseball League This Winter

Albert Pujols is heading south for the winter…

The 31-year-old Dominican professional baseball and Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman is ready to fulfill a promise of playing in the Dominican Professional Baseball League this winter, while reiterating his interest in playing in the majors until “I feel I can’t play anymore.”

Albert Pujols

Pujols, who was officially introduced late last week as the newest player on the Leones del Escogido, will see action for the first time in the Dominican Republic.

“I made a promise,” Pujols said. “I said I was going to play here before I retire. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to retire yet. My time to retire hasn’t arrived yet. Why do I have to retire because someone tells me to? I’m going to do it on my terms and when I feel I can’t play anymore.”

Pujols played 109 games in his 21st season in the majors, which ended when the Atlanta Braves beat the Dodgers in the National League Championship Series. He said he has a “game plan” in mind for the number of games that he will be playing in the Dominican league.

“I have an agreement with the team board. I have a family, commitments,” Pujols said. “I will play the games that my body allows me, but I will be helping the team in whatever it needs.”

Pujols added: “When Albert Pujols gets tired of playing baseball, that’s it. I’m not going to go out there and embarrass myself. I’ve trained really hard and worked on my body to be able to have a good career. … I know what I can do.”

The Santo Domingo native, who turns 42 in January, was drafted in 2002 by the Gigantes del Cibao in the LIDOM, but he never played winter baseball in the Dominican Republic, where the season ends in January.

“Since I was a child I always wanted to play at the Quisqueya Stadium. It is a dream come true,” Pujols said.

Pujols was greeted by his teammates and executives at the Leones Stadium when he arrived for his presentation and first practice with the team.

“Bringing Pujols to the local ball is an organization-wide effort for the good of our baseball and shows everyone’s commitment in this centennial year of the team,” Leones general manager Jose Gomez Frias said in a statement.

Pujols will wear the No. 5, which is retired by the team in honor of Leones legend Junior Noboa, but Noboa will allow Pujols to wear it. Noboa, who played for the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cleveland Indians, among other MLB teams, is currently the baseball commissioner for the Dominican Republic.

A 10-time MLB All-Star, Pujols’ 679 career home runs are fifth-most all-time and most among active players. He won World Series championships with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2006 and 2011.

Enrique Hernandez Agrees to Two-Year, $14 Million Deal with Boston Red Sox

Enrique Hernandez is seeing Red (Sox)

The Boston Red Sox have agreed to a two-year, $14 million deal with the 29-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball utility player, according to ESPN.

Enrique Hernandez

Hernandez, originally acquired from the Miami Marlins as part of a seven-player trade in December 2014, was a key cog for the Los Angeles Dodgers over the past six years because of his infectious energy, defensive versatility and production against left-handed pitching.

Hernandez is a career .240/.313/.425 hitter, making him slightly below league average, but he can provide premium defense as a middle infielder and in the outfield.

From 2016 to 2020, Hernandez compiled 5.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement.

One of his greatest highlights with the Dodgers came in October, when he hit the tying home run in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series.

Julio Urías Makes MLB History as the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 7 Closer Against the Atlanta Braves

Julio Urías has etched his name into the annals of Major League Baseball history…

On Sunday night, the 24-year-old Mexican professional baseball player, a former child prodigy, pitched the Los Angeles Dodgers into the 2020 World Series.

Julio Urías

“It was his moment,” manager Dave Roberts said.

Urías entered the seventh inning of a tied game and retired the next nine Atlanta Braves batters in order, requiring only 39 pitches to do so. He blanked the over the final three innings of a 4-3 victory in Game 7 of the National League Championship Series in Arlington, Texas.

With that, the left-hander became only the second reliever to close out a winner-take-all game with at least three no-hit innings. The other: Pedro Martinez in his famous six-inning performance in Game 5 of the 1999 American League Division Series for the Boston Red Sox against the Cleveland Indians.

It was Urias’ second win of the series, the first coming only four days earlier, when he threw 101 pitches in a Game 3 start.

His fastball touching 96 mph, he recorded his first three outs on only 10 pitches.

The quick seventh inning positioned Urías to earn the victory when Cody Bellinger launched a 94-mph sinker by Chris Martin into the right-field stands in the bottom of the inning.

Urías responded by navigating through the middle of the Braves’ order in the eighth inning. Their best hitter, Freddie Freeman, worked a nine-pitch at-bat, but Urías ultimately made him line out weakly to center field.

In Roberts’ mind, there was little question about who would pitch the ninth inning.

Kenley Jansen had pitched in each of the two previous games. This was Urías’ game to finish.

“I trust him,” Roberts said.

Urías forced Ozzie Albies to ground out. He made Dansby Swanson do the same. And when his changeup was lazily golfed to center field by Austin Riley, Urías raised his arms skyward.

Bellinger caught the fly ball, prompting Will Smith to approach the mound in celebration. Urías slapped Smith’s chest protector and embraced the catcher.

In the immediate aftermath of the victory, NLCS most valuable player Corey Seager marveled at Urías’ composure.

“That was his moment right there,” Seager said. “That was his game to win, and he went out and did it.”

Baez Named National League Championship Series Co-MVP

Javier Baez has etched his name in the MLB history books…

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican professional baseball infielder for the Chicago Cubs has been selected as a National League Championship Series co-MVP alongside starter Jon Lester on Saturday night, after leading the Cubs to their first NL pennant since 1945.

Javier Baez

Baez hit .318 (7-for-22) with five RBIs against the Los Angeles Dodgers, picking up right where he left off in the division series.

The versatile Baez also made a couple of the most exciting plays in the NLCS, stealing home during Chicago’s victory in the opener and robbing Adrian Gonzalez of a hit with a terrific, bare-handed scoop in Game 5 on Thursday night.

“Just having fun,” Baez said. “Living my dream, playing like a little kid, moving everywhere, catching the ball and making plays.”

Next up for Baez and the Cubs: the World Series against Francisco Lindor and the Cleveland Indians, beginning Tuesday night in Cleveland.

Baez and Lindor are part of a dynamic group of young players from Puerto Rico that also includes Houston Astros shortstop Carlos Correa.

Baez “grew up in Puerto Rico, played a lot of baseball as a youth, played a lot of winter ball,” manager Joe Maddon said. “He’s been taught properly and well. And when he goes out there, man, you saw him before the game sitting on the bench, saw him waving into the camera. He’s just being himself. I love that.”

Lester and Baez became the first NLCS co-MVPs since Cincinnati Reds relievers Rob Dibble and Randy Myers in 1990.

The Cubs grabbed Baez with the ninth overall pick in the 2011 amateur draft. He made his major league debut in 2014 but really turned into a consistent force this year, batting .273 with 14 homers and 59 RBIs while playing several different positions.

Baez Makes Chicago Cubs History in Game 1 of the National League Championship Series

Life’s a steal for Javier Baez

The 23-year-old Puerto Rican Chicago Cubs second baseman stole home in the second inning of Saturday’s National League Championship Series game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, becoming the first Cubs player to do so in the postseason since 1907.

Javier Baez

Baez reached second base on a hustle double and advanced to third on a wild pitch before stealing home.

With pitcher Jon Lester at the plate, Baez ventured off third base as Lester turned to bunt. Lester took the pitch, and catcher Carlos Ruiz immediately threw to third base, trying to catch Baez napping.

Instead, Baez took off for home, beating third baseman Justin Turner’s throw back to Ruiz and scoring the Cubs’ third run of the game.

Baez is the first player to steal home in any postseason game since Elvis Andrus in the 2010 American League Championship Series.