Mets Veteran Intends to Opt Out of Contract: Report

New York Mets pitcher Sean Manaea intends to opt out of his contract, according to Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Manaea, 32, went 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in his first year in Queens. He threw 181.2 innings, struck out 184 batters, and made four starts in the postseason, going 2-1.

Manaea signed a two-year, $28 million deal with the Mets in January, but he had the right to opt out of the deal after earning $14.5 million. Had he not opted out, Manaea would have been owed $13.5 million next season. DiComo reports that Manaea is likely to receive “significant multi-year interest” on the open market.

Manaea joins a class of free agent starting pitchers that includes a handful of front-line left-handed starters: Blake Snell, Max Fried and perhaps Robbie Ray (who can opt out of the final two years and $50 million of his contract with the Giants).

In nine major league seasons witht the Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants and Mets, Manaea is 77-62 with a 4.00 ERA (102 ERA+). He’s thrown 150 innings or more in five of his eight non-pandemic seasons, a rare degree of durability in the modern game. In 2023, his only year in San Francisco, Manaea made 27 of his 37 appearances out of the Giants’ bullpen.

Manaea led the American League with 32 starts in 2021, his final year in Oakland. He was traded to San Diego in April 2022, along with minor leaguer Aaron Holiday, for Adrian Martinez and minor league infilder Euribiel Angeles.

A free agent after the 2022 season, Manaea signed with the Giants for a base salary of $7.5 million but opted out of the second year of the deal.

With the Mets, Manaea followed up a strong regular season by delievering three strong postseason starts – and one clunker.