The New York Mets are in need of at least one more starting pitcher to round out what is expected to be a six-man rotation — and a potential reunion with Sean Manaea appears to still be in the cards.
SNY’s Andy Martino reported that there is “increasing optimism” that the Mets will ringback the 32-year-old free-agent southpaw, who excelled in his first year in Queens in 2024.
Manaea is looking for a multi-year deal, and understandably so. After being written off by the Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and San Francisco Giants, he had one of the finest seasons of his career with New York, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in a career-high 32 starts.
He was especially good during the second half, going 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA across his final eight starts of the regular season. The stability he provided in the rotation with Luis Severino while Kodai Senga spent most of the season on the IL provided a backbone for a team that made a surprising run to the NLCS.
The Mets offered both Manaea and Severino one-year qualifying offers, both of which were turned down. Severino went on to sign the richest contract in Athletics history, inking a three-year, $67 million pact last week.
Even before the calendar flipped to December, it was deemed more likely that Manaea would return to the Mets over Severino, potentially bringing back a second southpaw to the mix alongside David Peterson.
Manaea spoke glowingly of the Mets when their season ended.
“I’m super proud of the work I’ve been able to put in with everyone here, on and off the field,” Manaea said. “And I’m just super proud of the year as a whole… I love my time here. I love New York. I love the organization and all the people here, so I’d definitely love to be back.”
