In the past offseason, left-handed Sean Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million contract with the New York Mets in what turned out to be one of the savviest acquisitions made by any team.
Considering some of the contracts handed to pitchers in the last couple of years, getting the underrated Manaea for that money was widely considered a bargain.
The contract, however, has a caveat. It’s, in essence, a one-year deal with a player option because Manaea can opt out of the deal and re-test free agency after the World Series.
Given the kind of season he has had (11-5, 3.43 ERA, 163 strikeouts in 157.1 innings of work), one would expect the Mets star to re-enter the market and leverage that excellent performance into a multi-year deal.
That sounds like a logical plan. However, it’s clear that his preference is to remain with the Mets.
Manaea would love to return to the Mets next year
“I’ve loved every second here,” he told Jon Heyman and Joel Sherman, per SNY. “We’ll see what happens, but it really wouldn’t take too much convincing, I would think.”
For all we know, the southpaw might just opt into the rest of his deal in 2025 and remain with the organization. The smart money, however, is on him opting out and entering free agency. With the way he has pitched, he has earned that right.
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Given that contenders are usually pitching-starved in the offseason, there is serious earning potential for a guy with an ERA in the mid-3.00s capable of approaching 180 innings and striking out more than a batter per frame.
If he does opt out, the ball would be on the Mets’ court. They would have a quality pitcher dying to be a part of the team and one of the deepest pockets in the game.
In any case, everything points out at Manaea being part of the Mets organization in 2025.
