When the New York Mets needed a starting pitcher to the fill the role as the team’s ace after Kodai Senga went down during the 2024 season, Sean Manaea stepped up.
Now, the left-hander will share that responsibility atop the team’s rotation for the next few seasons. According to multiple reports, the Mets have agreed to bring back Manaea on a three-year, $75 million deal. ESPN’s Jeff Passan was the first to report the deal.
The 32-year-old Manaea was arguably the Mets’ most impactful starter last season and during their run to the National League Championship Series. The lefty, who had spent the previous season shifting between the Giants’ rotation and bullpen, finished the season with a 12-6 record, 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in a career-high 181⅔ innings.
Manaea had to prove he was worthy of a starting spot as he joined the Mets on a two-year, $28 million deal, including an opt-out after the 2024 season. With Senga dealing with shoulder and calf injuries, Manaea ended up asserting himself as one of the team’s top-end arms.
As the Mets pushed for a playoff spot, Manaea reworked his delivery, shifting his arm angle down slightly, and finished with 12 quality starts in his final 17 starts across the last three months of the season. Nine of those outings went at least seven innings.
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The lefty was an essential cog in the rotation during the team’s playoff run. In his first three starts across each round, Manaea was 2-0, with wins over the Phillies in NLDS Game 3 and the Dodgers in NLCS Game 2, allowing five earned runs in 17 innings (2.65 ERA) and 17 strikeouts. Manaea hit a wall in his final start, allowing five earned runs on six hits and two walks in two innings in the Dodgers’ clinching Game 6 victory.
‘Special,’ Manaea said when asked to sum up last season’s Mets team after the loss. ‘I don’t think anybody expected us to be here, and that was one of the coolest, most magical runs I’ve ever been a part of. Just happy to be a little part of this team.’
Manaea earned an opportunity to re-enter free agency with his strong performance throughout the campaign. He opted out of the final year of his deal and turned down the team’s $21.05 million qualifying offer.
Now, he gets a longer-term deal with an opportunity to run it back in New York. During his lone season in Flushing, Manaea showed an affinity for the city, riding the subway to games and becoming a clear affable presence inside the clubhouse.
In his return, Manaea will be viewed as a top starter in the rotation, alongside Senga. The Mets have also added Frankie Montas on a two-year, $34 million deal and Clay Holmes on a three-year, $38 million contract. Both those deals include player options in the final season.
After a career season in 2024, fellow left-hander David Peterson is sure to occupy one of the team’s rotation spots in the upcoming season, as well.
The Mets also have some depth they can count on down the roster, with Paul Blackburn, new signing Griffin Canning and Tylor Megill all capable of providing big innings.