New York Mets Sign Free Agent Left-Hander

 

The New York Mets have signed a free agent starter for their rotation, but it may not be one of the top names fans were hoping for.

Manaea deal is for $28M. Opt out after 2024. https://t.co/KLPV7tYiCo

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) January 7, 2024

It’s a two-year, $28 million deal for left-hander Sean Manaea. The deal includes a player opt-out after 2024. He had bet on himself by opting out of a $12.5 million deal with the San Francisco Giants after last season, and was able to recoup that and more with this Mets deal.

The 31-year-old began his career as a solid piece of the Oakland A’s rotation for three seasons. In 2019, shoulder surgery limited him to just five starts, though he was able to bounce back in 2020 and 2021, returning to form.

The past two seasons, however, have seen him heading up and down the California coast, first struggling with the San Diego Padres with an ERA of 4.96 in 30 starts in 2022. 

In San Francisco in 2023, he lost his spot in the rotation after a dreadful start to the season, but then regained his form as a high-performing bulk inning pitcher for four months. To top off his resurrection, he finished the season with four dominant starts of a 2.25 ERA, eventually winding up the year with a 4.44 ERA in 117 innings, while also putting up his personal best strikeout numbers at 9.8 Ks per nine innings.

Aside from his injury-plagued 2019 season, Manaea has been a reliable innings-eater over his career and should plug into the middle of a revamped Mets rotation that still has Kodai Senga at the top, then followed by Jose Quintana, Luis Severino, and Adrian Hauser.

Photo: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports