Sean Manaea and the New York Mets have finalized a $75 million, three-year contract, keeping one of the team’s top pitchers from last season in their revamped rotation. The deal was agreed to earlier this week, pending a successful physical.
Manaea had a standout year in 2024, becoming the Mets’ best starter, with a 12-6 record and a 3.47 ERA in 32 games. He turned down a $13.5 million option for 2025, leaving a two-year $28 million deal to become a free agent for the third consecutive offseason. Manaea also rejected a $21.05 million qualifying offer from the Mets last month to test the market again.
“Sean was an integral part of what the team accomplished last season,” said Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns. “He impressed on the field leading the rotation and in the clubhouse with his character, attitude, and composure. I am excited to watch him continue to flourish over the next few years.”
The Mets’ agreement with Manaea, who will turn 33 in February, gives the team a crucial frontline starter for their new-look rotation. After securing slugger Juan Soto to a record $765 million, 15-year deal, Mets owner Steve Cohen has committed $916.25 million to five free agents this offseason, four of them starting pitchers.
In addition to Manaea, the Mets also signed right-handed pitchers Frankie Montas ($34 million, two years), Clay Holmes ($38 million, three years), and Griffin Canning ($4.25 million, one year). Holmes, a two-time All-Star with the Yankees, is expected to transition from a reliever to a starter.
Manaea finished the season with 184 strikeouts and 63 walks in 181 2/3 innings, posting a 3.09 ERA in his final 12 regular-season starts. In the playoffs, he went 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA and 19 strikeouts over 19 innings as the Mets advanced to the National League Championship Series.
After several veteran starters became free agents, including Luis Severino and Jose Quintana, Manaea’s three-year, $75 million deal matches the one signed by Nathan Eovaldi with the Texas Rangers. However, some of Manaea’s payments will be deferred.
Manaea, Montas, and Holmes are expected to fill spots in the Mets’ projected 2025 rotation, alongside returning pitchers Kodai Senga and David Peterson. Other candidates like Canning, Tylor Megill, Paul Blackburn, and Jose Buttó may round out the rotation.
A nine-year MLB veteran, Manaea has a career record of 77-62 with a 4.00 ERA in 198 starts and 30 relief appearances with Oakland, San Diego, San Francisco, and the Mets. He pitched a no-hitter for Oakland against Boston in April 2018. Manaea was drafted by the Kansas City Royals in 2013 from Indiana State.
Last month, Manaea received the Ben Epstein/Dan Castellano Good Guy Award from the New York chapter of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America for his cooperation with reporters.
