In the early hours of Sunday morning, Jon Heyman of the NY Post reported that the New York Mets have signed starting pitcher Sean Manaea to a two-year deal. The contract is reportedly worth a total of $28 million and includes a player opt-out after the 2024 season.
The Mets’ interest in Manaea was first reported on January 3 by MMO’s Michael Mayer.
Manaea, 31 years old, owns a career 4.10 ERA over eight years. He pitched most recently with the San Francisco Giants last season, registering a 4.44 ERA, 3.90 FIP, and a 4.21 xERA. He threw 117 2/3 innings combined making 10 starts and 27 appearances out of the bullpen.
The left-handed pitcher made 28 starts in 30 appearances during the 2022 season posting a 4.96 ERA, the worst of his career. He was a full-time starter in 2021 and all years prior that that.
Fangraph’s crowd-sourced projections predicted a two-year, $24 million deal. Meanwhile, MLB Trade Rumors had Manaea ranked as their No. 35 free agent and projected him to land a two-year, $22 million deal.
Manaea projects as a bottom-of-the-rotation starter and provides an immediate upgrade over the likes of Adrian Houser, Tylor Megill, the injured David Peterson, among others. With him, the Mets starting group currently projects as:
- Kodai Senga
- Luis Severino
- José Quintana
- Sean Manaea
- Adrian Houser
With depth options being the aforementioned Megill, José Butto, among others. Not a flashy unit, but one that is much improved from when the offseason began. President of baseball operations, David Stearns, filled another pressing need early Sunday morning.
