New York Mets star pitcher Sean Manaea recently expressed his willingness to return to the franchise after the 2024 MLB season concludes, and gave the team good reason to want him back for the long haul with his most recent start against the Toronto Blue Jays.
Mets’ Sean Manaea added to his standout season with a dominant showing vs. Blue Jays
Manaea retired eight of the 27 batters he faced while leading the Mets to a 6-2 win over the Blue Jays on Wednesday. This was the eighth time the veteran pitcher saw action past the sixth inning in his last nine starts, as he did his damage against Toronto in 6.2 innings. Having only allowed three hits for a strong 3.35 ERA, the nine-year veteran continued to show out as the Mets’ No. 2 pitcher.
Manaea is in his first year with the Mets. He’s given New York’s pitching staff a reliable No. 2 option with an impressive 11-5 record alongside a 3.35 ERA and 171 strikeouts on the campaign. The 6-5, 245-pound talent has been especially instrumental for a Mets team that has labored throughout the season without their ace, Kodai Senga, and also dealt with Jose Quintana and Tylor Megill’s struggles. Now that Manaea has proven that he can be relied on for the Mets, the door is open for him to commit to the team for the long term.
Will Manaea opt out of his two-year deal for a larger Mets contract next offseason?
Manaea can opt out of the two-year, $28 million deal he signed with the Mets, as they announced on Jan. 12, which would effectively render him a free agent for the upcoming offseason. Should he do so, the Indiana native would be in line to sign a more lucrative multi-year deal either in New York, or elsewhere.
However, according to recent comments he issued in a conversation with Joel Sherman and Jon Heyman on their New York Post podcast, “The Show,” it may only take a simple offer to bring him back to Queens, N.Y. (h/t SNY’s John Flanigan):
“I’ve loved every second here,” he told Heyman and Sherman. “We’ll see what happens, but it really wouldn’t take too much convincing, I would think.”
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How Manaea would fit in the Mets’ pitching staff in 2025?
There certainly is room for the 32-year-old to return to town, while retaining his prominent role on the Mets’ pitching staff. Upon Senga’s return, he’ll reclaim the top spot as New York’s leader, and RHP Luis Severino — who has been the team’s stand-in ace in 2024 — will come in right behind him, should he also remain with the franchise.
After that, the third rank will be up for Manaea to seize and not let go of in 2025 and onward. He’s even shown the stuff necessary to bump Severino off of his spot should he elevate his game even further next time out. For now, he will be instrumental in the Mets’ late-season playoff surge and any run they look to make in the postseason.
