New York Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns built a productive 2024 starting rotation by acquiring a handful of hurlers on short-term deals. Sean Manaea, Luis Severino and Jose Quintana were key contributors who are now free agents.
While the Mets have been linked to several top pitchers since free agency began, will any of these guys make their way back to Queens for 2025 and beyond?
Stearns awarded just one multi-year deal to a big-league free agent last winter. It was a two-year, $28 million pact with Manaea. But he’s back on the open market because that contract included an opportunity to opt out following 2024. The southpaw enjoyed an outstanding campaign in New York, posting a 12-6 record with a 3.47 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 184 strikeouts in 181 2/3 innings.
Brandon Sloter/Image Of Sport/Getty Images
The soon-to-be 33-year-old will get a larger guarantee than last winter. However, it’ll be much easier for any club to manage his salary compared to what Corbin Burnes, Max Fried and Blake Snell are looking for. Deadspin’s David Brown thinks Manaea will ultimately re-sign with the Mets on a three-year, $63 million deal.
That prediction just about mirrors his calculated market value from Spotrac, which is four years at $64.5 million. While not an insignificant amount of money, it could end up being a huge bargain for whichever team signs him.
ESPN’s Dave Schoenfield shared his MLB free agency superlatives on Thursday, dubbing Manaea the player most likely to be the biggest steal.
“Manaea is ranked 10th on (Kiley) McDaniel’s top-50 free agent ranking, but I like him over No. 9 Jack Flaherty or No. 11 Yusei Kikuchi based on the similar contract projections,” he opined. “And if Manaea is coming in at half the price as Max Fried and $100-something million lower than Corbin Burnes, that could make him the steal of free agency.”
More MLB: MLB Execs Predict Juan Soto Signs $600-Plus Millions Deal With AL Team
