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The New York Mets are discussing a potential contract extension with starting pitcher Sean Manaea, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The Mets extended a $21.05 million qualifying offer to Manaea after he posted a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts this season.
“He will decline the qualifying offer… But he loves New York, and he and the Mets are talking,” Heyman wrote.
Spotrac projects that Manaea will net a four-year, $64 million contract in free agency, while Heyman predicts his value will be slightly higher at $72 million.
After adding a sweeper and leaning on his sinker helped improve his game ahead of the 2024 season, Manaea enjoyed a strong second half of the campaign after he started lowering his arm slot in imitation of Atlanta Braves ace Chris Sale (h/t Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.)
After making the change Manaea recorded a 3.09 ERA over the final 12 starts of the season. He earned the nod for four postseason starts, including a Game 2 NLCS victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
After he recorded the loss in the Mets’ Game 6 elimination from the championship series, Manaea expressed fondness toward the organization but stopped short of saying he planned to re-sign.
“I don’t really have control over that right now, or not even thinking about it,” Manaea said after the elimination loss (h/t MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola.) “I love my time here. I love New York. I love the organization. I love all the people here. Definitely give it a couple of days, let the body rest and then we’ll go from there.”
Manaea spent his first six seasons with the Oakland Athletics. He was traded to the San Diego Padres in 2022 and signed with the San Francisco Giants in 2023 before joining the Mets on a two-year, $28 million deal with a second-year option last offseason.
The Mets are also facing uncertainty regarding starter Luis Severino, who like Manaea was extended a qualifying offer and could decline in order to test free agency. New York is “interested” in keeping both pitchers, per Heyman.
