Sean Manaea is coming back to Queens after he and the New York Mets agreed to a three-year, $75 million deal in the very early hours of Monday morning.
The 32-year-old southpaw had a career year with the Mets last year, throwing a career-high in innings (181.2) while posting a 3.47 ERA, a 1.084 WHIP, and 184 strikeouts.
While Francisco Lindor’s heroics down the stretch were well-documented, Manaea’s arm was a foundation that became ol’ reliable every fifth day to help the team secure its spot in the postseason. He went 6-2 with a 3.09 ERA across his final eight starts of the regular season.
He and Luis Severino, another one-year wonder with the Mets in 2024, declined one-year qualifying offers from David Stearns in hopes of securing sizable multi-year deals.
Both pitchers got just that as Severino signed the richest contract in Athletics franchise history, inking a three-year, $67 million deal.
Manaea’s return provides a stabilizing force to a rotation that has experienced significant turnover this offseason. Severino and Jose Quintana are gone while Stearns brought in Manaea’s friend from his Oakland A’s days, Frankie Montas, into the rotation. Former Yankees closer Clay Holmes was also signed and will be stretched out into a starter in Queens.
This will likely end the team’s foray into the free-agent starting-pitching market. They now have a six-man rotation to work with in 2025, featuring Kodai Senga, Manaea, Montas, David Peterson, Holmes, and Paul Blackburn. Granted, they are expected to keep their cap in the Roki Sasaki ring until he decides which team he will sign for.
For now, though, the Mets’ immediate priority is resolving their corner-infield situation. Pete Alonso remains a free agent, and his return to first base at Citi Field has become increasingly likely after a busy weekend that saw multiple free-agent first basemen find homes.
