The Mets have agreed to a three-year, $75 million contract with the left-hander Sean Manaeaaccording to a report from ESPN’s Jeff Passan. As Jon Heyman of the New York Post noted, the deal is still pending.

Manaea, 33 years old in February, is now on the verge of signing with the Mets for the second straight offseason. In the first week of January earlier this year, the southpaw agreed to a two-year deal with New York that guaranteed him $28 million and included an opt-out option after the 2024 campaign. It was the second straight winter Manaea signed a two-year contract with an opt-out option after signing with the Giants in the 2022-23 offseason with $25 million guaranteed.

This first contract in San Francisco was signed following a brutal 2022 season in San Diego in which Manaea struggled with a 4.96 ERA (76 ERA+) and a 4.53 FIP in 158 innings. His time with the Giants went better; While his 4.44 ERA (94 ERA+) was still below average, he still entered the offseason with much stronger peripherals (3.91 FIP, 3.83 SIERA) and a solid starting streak in September, where he posted an ERA of 2.25 and a FIP of 3.21.

The Mets clearly believed this meant better days for Manaea’s future, and it was true. The left-hander emerged as a premier middle-rotation option for New York in 2024, posting a 3.47 ERA (114 ERA+) and 3.83 FIP in 32 starts in 181 2/3 innings. After having a career year before his third straight free agency move, it appeared Manaea was looking for longer-term security. The Mets opted to give the left-hander the qualifying offer earlier this winter, but it was no surprise when Manaea rejected the one-year, $21.05 million offer and hit the open market anyway. Finally, the left-hander entered the winter ranked by MLBTR as the No. 10 available free agent on our annual Top 50 MLB Free Agents list and the No. 5 starter behind it Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell, Max FriedAnd Jack Flaherty.

At the start of the offseason, the fact that Manaea was burdened by the QO caused a number of clubs that would likely have been interested in a mid-rotation veteran like him to turn to alternative options. The Angels, Dodgers and Cubs turned to undrafted free agents at the start of the offseason Yusei KikuchiSnell and Matthew Boyd instead of diving into the qualified free agent markets like Manaea, Nick Pivettaor Luis Severino.

However, that’s out of the question for the Mets, as reuniting with Manaea only costs the hypothetical draft pick they would have received had he signed elsewhere. That has allowed Manaea to receive a solid guarantee, even though the list of teams linked to him this winter is relatively small: his three-year, $75 million contract exceeds the three-year, $60 million guarantee that MLBTR has to begin with the offseason predicted for him, but that’s no surprise considering virtually every starting pitcher’s contract has exceeded expectations.

For New York, a reunion with Manaea serves as a likely capstone to the club’s efforts to rebuild its starting rotation after he, Severino and Jose Quintana All hit the open market last month. The club added Frankie Montas And Clay Holmes contributed to their rotation mix earlier this winter, but this duo offers little stability given Montas’ struggles in 2025 and the fact that Holmes last started a game in the majors in 2018. Manaea provides much-needed stability while moving to the front of a rotation that also includes talented right-handers Kodai Senga and young southpaw David Peterson.

With depth options like Paul Blackburn, Tylor MegillAnd Griffin Canning all on the wings to cover potential injuries, it would hardly be a surprise if Manaea’s return completes the team’s winter additions. However, that doesn’t mean that the club is completely finished. Even with a high payroll in 2025, which RosterResource estimates will be just under $280 million from today’s perspective, that still leaves $56 million of wiggle room to work with before the Mets make their number achieve for 2024. That should leave the Mets plenty of room to sign a corner infield bat as a pairing Mark Vientoswhether it will be a reunion in the end Pete Alonso or an alternative option such as Alex Bregman and perhaps strengthen other areas of the roster such as the bullpen or bench.