A fascinating situation is developing with the New York Mets’ starting rotation.

New York’s rotation was built on short-term deals in 2024, and as successful as it was, it’s now going to have a completely different look. The top three playoff starters all became free agents, with Luis Severino already signing elsewhere, and the Mets have brought in Clay Holmes, Frankie Montas, and Griffin Canning as rotation options.

The best of the Mets’ free agents in terms of 2024 performance was clearly Sean Manaea. He had the best ERA (3.47) of any of New York’s regular-season starters, then shined in the playoffs with terrific outings against the Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Los Angeles Dodgers.

Will Manaea be back in Queens soon? One baseball writer thinks so.

On Friday, Zachary D. Rymer predicted that the Mets would lock up Manaea with a three-year, $75 million contract that would extend through the lefty’s age-35 season.

“(Manaea) represents a solid bet to age well on account of how he can beat hitters through sheer variation,” Rymer said. “He has six pitches and his new delivery makes it that much harder for hitters to track the ball.”

“If Yusei Kikuchi can get three years, $63 million on this market, Manaea should be in for at least that much… Prediction: Re-signs with New York Mets for 3 years, $75 million.”

Changing his arm slot to mimic Chris Sale had a massive impact on Manaea’s swing-and-miss ability, which should help him continue to produce in 2025. If he can do that, he’ll be well worth the expenditure.

Such a deal wouldn’t be without risk, though, as Manaea had two rough seasons in the National League West before signing a pillow contract with the Mets. Here’s to hoping the changes he made were permanent enough to sustain the length of his next deal.

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