Few players improved their stock more within the last calendar year than Sean Manaea.
After a strong bounceback season, Manaea cashed in by agreeing to return to the New York Mets on a three-year deal worth $75 million, a league source confirmed to The Athletic. ESPN and the New York Post first reported the deal, which is pending a physical.
Manaea, who turns 33 in February, re-entered free agency in a far stronger position than each of the last two winters, when he signed two-year deals with opt-outs. He positioned himself as a potential No. 2 starter. Manaea entered this offseason as the No. 12 player on The Athletic’s Free Agent Big Board, and the sixth-best available starting pitcher. He was projected by The Athletic’s Tim Britton to receive a four-year, $76 million deal.
In sticking with three years for Manaea at a higher annual average value, the Mets operated as The Athletic recently suggested it would, refraining from going four or five years while instead raising the dollar figure on a per-year basis to get the player they want.
Manaea’s return strengthens a Mets rotation that has experienced some turnover. With some change, the Mets needed someone like Manaea to slot at the top of the group. New York’s rotation is set to feature Manaea, Kodai Senga and David Peterson plus newcomers Clay Holmes and Frankie Montas. The Mets intend to roll with a six-man rotation when the season follows a conventional schedule. Their other starting options include the newly signed Griffin Canning, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill, among others. While Senga can be electric when available, Manaea heads into 2025 as the most reliable option of the bunch.
With the New York Mets in 2024, Manaea became a different pitcher. He improved his velocity, altered his repertoire and even switched his arm angle during the middle of the season. The turnaround started before the season, when he crafted his sweeper and sinker. Around the All-Star break, he watched Chris Sale pitch and tried to mimic his delivery. From that point in late July, he led baseball in innings, with an ERA just over 3.00 and a top-10 strikeout rate among starters.
Manaea emerged as the Mets’ best starting pitcher while showcasing durability over the regular season. In 32 starts and 181 2/3 innings, he had a 3.47 ERA/3.83 FIP with a 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts. Manaea’s first deal with the Mets guaranteed him $13.5 million for 2025, so it was an easy decision for him to opt out. It was another easy call to reject the $21.05 million qualifying offer that the Mets then extended to him.
Manaea’s age may raise some concerns about sustainability. But his peripherals suggested that his success was no fluke. What’s more, he’s an athletic, crafty pitcher who has always tinkered with his stuff. It’s more than conceivable that he builds off his latest performance.
Required reading
- Mets free-agent outlook: Is mutual interest enough for a Sean Manaea return?
- Mets’ Sean Manaea delivers sparkling performance with a heavy heart
(Photo: Sean M. Haffey / Getty Images)
