Former Royals left-hander Mike Montgomery signs with Mets

NEW YORK — The New York Mets have signed left-hander Mike Montgomery and righty Tommy Hunter to minor league contracts, adding a couple of veterans to the staff at the start of spring training.

The Mets made the announcement Sunday and said both pitchers have been invited to big league camp.

The 31-year-old Montgomery pitched three games for Kansas City last year, giving up three earned runs in 5 1/3 innings, before being outrighted off the 40-man roster following the season. Drafted by the Royals in 2008, he was reacquired by Kansas City in a July 2019 trade that sent catcher Martín Maldonado to the Cubs. He had a 4.67 ERA with 55 strikeouts and 22 walks over 69 1/3 innings spanning two seasons for the Royals.

Montgomery got a save in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series for the Cubs. He relieved with two outs in the 10th inning and a runner on first base and induced a groundout to preserve an 8-7 win at Cleveland. Used in a variety of roles over his six-season major league career, he is 23-34 with three saves and a 3.84 ERA in 183 games with Seattle, the Cubs and Kansas City.

The 34-year-old Hunter went 0-1 with one save and a 4.01 ERA in 24 games for Philadelphia last season. He also has played for Texas, Baltimore, the Chicago Cubs, Cleveland and Tampa Bay.

Hunter is 56-45 with 22 saves and 4.08 ERA in 472 games during a 13-year career. A starter in his early days, he’s pitched exclusively in relief since 2012.