Chris
The New York Mets have an interesting dilemma to face this winter.
Making a run to the National League Championship Series wasn’t part of the plan this season, but Mets fans are certainly thankful for all the memories the 2024 team gave them. However, they also unexpectedly fell in love with some impending free agents who may or may not be back.
Lefty starting pitcher Sean Manaea is at the top of that list. Practically the entire Mets rotation was comprised of veteran castoffs in 2024, and Manaea led the charge, throwing some memorable big games in the playoffs on top of an excellent regular season.
Predictably, Manaea opted out of the second year of his Mets contract, making him a free agent for the fourth winter in a row. This time, though, he’s likely to cash in with a much bigger deal.
Andy McCullough of The Athletic predicted recently that Manaea would land that deal with an unexpected team. He named the Detroit Tigers as his chosen destination for the ex-Mets star in what would be a fairly surprising free-agent signing.
“The Tigers arrived in October ahead of schedule this year. A reunion between manager A.J. Hinch and third baseman Alex Bregman makes a lot of sense, but the price will be steep and Detroit would like to create runway at the position for former first-round pick Jace Jung,” McCullough said.
“The club’s needs in the rotation are the most acute. The team made it to the postseason last year utilizing Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal and a boatload of bullpen games. Detroit could make a commitment to Manaea, who thrived after shifting his arm angle to mimic the other Cy Young award winner in 2024, Chris Sale.”
Manaea, 33, went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA, but it was the progress he showed after the mechanical change that really inflated his free-agent value. He showed huge gains in opponent batting average and strikeout-to-walk ratio once he switched to his Sale-inspired delivery
Manaea was projected for a four-year, $76 million deal by Tim Britton of The Athletic. Obviously, the Mets can afford that and then some, so whether Manaea chooses the Tigers comes down to how he sees each organization improving throughout his tenure, on top of the cash.
