Mets re-signing Sean Manaea addresses all their starting rotation needs in one fell swoop

With spring training just over six weeks away, the Mets' starting rotation remained in serious need.

They needed someone who was durable -- a reliable innings-eater.

They needed someone who profiled near the top of the rotation.

They needed someone whose signing or trade would be wise financially and/or when it came to what they had to give up in terms of prospects.

Early Monday morning, they addressed all of those needs in one fell swoop by re-signing Sean Manaea to a three-year deal worth $75 million.

And as a bonus, Manaea brings more than just the innings (181.2 last season, 158.0 or more five times during his career) and the upside (ace-level).

He was a tremendous clubhouse presence for the 2024 team that had off-the-charts vibes.

Beyond that, Manaea badly wanted to remain a Met.

"Just super proud of everything we accomplished, everyone here," an emotional Manaea said after the Mets' Game 6 NLCS loss to the Dodgers in Los Angeles. "Nobody else I'd do it with."

He added about his future:

"I have no control over that right now and I’m not really thinking about it. But I’ve loved my time here. I love New York, the organization, and all the people here, so I’d definitely love to be back."

Now, Manaea is back.

And with his re-signing, the Mets' rotation for 2025 is coming into focus.

It will be anchored by Manaea and Kodai Senga, with Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and David Peterson behind them. But with the Mets planning to use a six-man rotation, they'll need one more member of the starting staff.

That pitcher could be someone already on the roster, such as Paul Blackburn or Griffin Canning.

Or it could be someone who isn't here yet, like Japanese ace Roki Sasaki, whom the Mets had an in-person meeting with last week.

But back to Manaea...

For a while, it seemed like his market could spin out of control, especially with the Angels giving Yusei Kikuchi (career 4.57 ERA) a three-year deal, Nate Eovaldi getting three years from the Rangers ahead of his age-35 season, and the Yankees handing an eight-year deal to 31-year-old Max Fried.

Somehow, though, David Stearns and the Mets were able to retain Manaea on just a three-year term.

While it could be hard to bank on Manaea being able to maintain the level of production he had after dropping his arm angle during the middle of last season, it's also quite possible he's simply unlocked something. And even if he doesn't provide legitimate ace-level production, he could be a steal if he simply comes close.

After changing his delivery in late July while dropping his arm angle, Manaea had a 3.09 ERA in 12 starts to close the regular season, holding opposing hitters to a .170/.230/.307 triple slash while allowing just 46 hits in 75.2 innings.

During that time, he was an innings-eating machine, going 7.0 innings on seven occasions, and 6.2 innings three times.

Manaea was also dominant during his first three postseason starts, allowing just five earned runs in 17 innings across the Wild Card Series, NLDS, and Game 2 of the NLCS. And in his first NLCS start against the Dodgers, he made Shohei Ohtani look downright silly.

Manaea and the Mets ran out of steam in Game 6 in LA, but now they'll have the opportunity to run it back in an effort to get one or two steps further in 2025.