Andres Chavez
The New York Mets have enviable rotation depth. That much became clear when they traded for Freddy Peralta and Tobias Myers earlier this year. And having many options to choose from gives the team alternatives and flexibility.
They put that flexibility to good use on Saturday when they announced their rotation to start the year.
Sean Manaea, who posted a solid 3.72 ERA in Grapefruit League play, has been excluded from the Mets’ rotation at least through the first couple of turns, per Mike Puma of the New York Post.
Mets Announce Their Rotation
“(Freddy) Peralta, (David) Peterson, (Nolan) McLean, (Clay) Holmes, and (Kodai) Senga is the rotation the first two times through. Manaea will piggyback one of the starters,” Puma wrote on X.
Manaea’s spring results were fine, but his four-seam fastball sat in the 88-89 mph range. It was 92-93 in 2024, his last good year as a major leaguer, and it averaged 91.7 mph last year as he finished with a 5.64 ERA.
Neither Puma nor the Mets mentioned in which game Manaea would be used as a ‘piggyback’ option, following one of the starters. The team is, evidently, not confident that he can fool hitters with an 87 mph ‘heater’ when the games start counting.
The decision to keep him off the rotation is not necessarily permanent, though. Things can change if his velocity returns, or if there’s an injury to one of the Mets starters.
The rotation is now set for the first five games of the season, as Fireside Mets posted on X:
March 26: Freddy Peralta
March 28: David Peterson
March 29: Nolan McLean
March 30: Clay Holmes
March 31: Kodai Senga
An Embarrassment Of Riches
The Mets will also have Myers in the bullpen as a long man or an emergency rotation option should anything happen to the already mentioned hurlers. Jonah Tong and Christian Scott, two very talented right-handers, will be ready to roll in Triple-A if need be.
Manaea posted a 3.47 ERA in 181.2 innings with the Mets in 2024, his first season with the team. He then signed a three-year, $75 million contract to remain in New York in December of that year.
Oblique and elbow issues limited him to 60.2 frames last year, and the results just weren’t there for the left-hander. Entering his age-34 season, he has a lot to prove, and it all starts with the velocity of his fastball.
Fans will pay close attention to the radar gun every time Manaea steps on the mound. He has said time and again that he thinks the adrenaline of the regular season will help him get his velocity back, but that remains to be seen.
More about:New York Mets
