Tag Archives: NLCS

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

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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 Manaea, Luis 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’.

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

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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?”

Eduardo Rodriguez Agrees to Four-Year Deal with Arizona Diamondbacks

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Eduardo Rodriguez is heading to The Copper State.

The 30-year-old Venezuelan professional baseball pitcher, nicknamed “E-Rod,” has agreed to a four-year contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks valued at around $20 million a year, according to ESPN.

Eduardo Rodriguez The deal is pending a physical.

The left-handed starter opted out of the final three years of his deal with the Detroit Tigers after going 13-9 with a 3.30 ERA in 152⅔ innings. He was expected to be moved at the trade deadline this year but invoked his no-trade clause to kill an agreed-upon deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Rodriguez gives the National League champion Diamondbacks another quality starter for their rotation that includes NL Cy Young Award finalist Zac Gallen, veteran Merrill Kelly and youngsters like righty Brandon Pfaadt and lefty Tommy Henry.

During their recent run to the World Series, Arizona only had three true starting pitchers, using the bullpen to get through Game 4 of the NL Championship Series and the World Series.

At his best, Rodriguez offers a polished four-pitch mix he controls well and uses to generate strikeouts. Over his eight-year career, he has punched out more than a batter an inning, and his ability to limit home runs prompted the Tigers to lavish a five-year, $77 million deal on him after he reached free agency following six seasons with the Boston Red Sox.

Rodriguez missed almost half of his first season with Detroit in 2022 while dealing with marital issues. He was looking like a surefire All-Star this year until a ruptured pulley in his left index finger caused him to miss all of June. Rodriguez wasn’t nearly as effective after he returned, posting a 4.24 ERA over 15 starts and 85 innings as compared to a 2.13 ERA in 11 starts and 67⅔ innings before the injury.

He opted out anyway, forgoing the final three years and $49 million on his deal to hit free agency once again.

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

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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.”