Sean Manaea, who emerged as the Mets’ ace down the stretch last season, has reached an agreement to return to the team, according to reports.
It’s a three-year, $75 million contract for the left-hander, per ESPN.
Manaea, who turns 33 in February, went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA and 184 strikeouts over a career-high 181.2 innings in 2024, and he was particularly dominant as the season wore on.
His 110.1 innings from June 26 on led MLB pitchers, while his 3.02 ERA over that stretch — a span of 18 starts — was the 11th-best mark in the National League.
He pitched at least 6.2 innings in 12 of his final 18 starts, turning into a workhorse for a Mets rotation that was without No. 1 starter Kodai Senga for all but one start in the regular season due to shoulder and calf injuries.
Manaea tweaked his delivery during that dynamic run, using a lower arm slot after observing Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale during a July 25 game between the teams.
And while his 4.74 ERA in the postseason did not match his regular-season success, Manaea was solid in three of his four playoff starts.
Manaea returns to a Mets rotation headlined by Senga, along with offseason signings Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes.
David Peterson, Paul Blackburn and Tylor Megill are all set to return, while Griffin Canning, who made 31 starts for the Los Angeles Angels last season, signed a one-year deal with the Mets last week, adding to their depth.
The Mets could again deploy a six-man rotation, which better replicates Senga’s pitching schedule in Japan.
Manaea, who is entering his 10th MLB season, has also pitched for the Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants and owns a 4.00 ERA for his career. A sweeper that Manaea added to his arsenal in 2023 with the Giants has proved vital to his recent reinvention.
The Mets signed Manaea last season to a two-year, $28 million contract with an opt-out, which he exercised in November to become a free agent.
He also rejected the Mets’ one-year, $21.05 million qualifying offer, meaning the Mets would have received draft pick compensation had he left.
The Manaea agreement continued a busy offseason for the Mets, who signed former Yankees slugger Juan Soto to a record-setting 15-year, $765 million contract earlier his month. Manaea, like Soto, is represented by agent Scott Boras.
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