Can the New York Mets reunite with their best pitcher from the 2024 season?
The rotation looked fairly bleak for the Mets entering the year, and things only got bleaker when Kodai Senga went down with a long-term injury before the season even began. However, a number of unexpected veteran contributors stepped up, and one stood above the rest.
In his age-33 season, Sean Manaea put together a remarkable campaign. His overall statistics were good (12-6, 3.47 ERA), but he started dominating once he switched up his delivery to mimic Chris Sale’s sidewinding motion in late June.
The Mets rode Manaea as their de facto ace in the playoffs, but now, he’s up for grabs. As much as New York would love to keep him, they’re sure to find stiff competition from the rest of the league.
The Baltimore Orioles haven’t always been big spenders, but they could emerge as that competition this winter due to new ownership. Joel Reuter predicted on Thursday that the Orioles would sign Manaea to a five-year, $90 million contract this winter.
“After spending a significant chunk of the 2023 season pitching out of the bullpen for the San Francisco Giants… Sean Manaea settled for a one-year, $14.5 million deal with a $13.5 million player option last offseason,” Reuter said.
“Declining that player option became a no-brainer after he put together a stellar 2024 campaign that included a stretch of nine quality starts in 11 outings during the second half while the Mets were chasing a playoff berth. He might not reach $100 million on his next contract, but he is the best of the market’s second-tier arms and should take home a solid payday.”
There’s a scenario where the Mets lose Manaea because they’re overly invested in top free-agent hurlers like Corbin Burnes and Max Fried, while a team like the Orioles knows they won’t be able to afford one of those two.
That works out fine if New York can get Burnes or Fried, so they’ve got to channel their efforts into landing as much pitching as possible. Without it, they’ll be in a tough spot come Opening Day.
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