After Sean Manaea’s strong 2024 campaign, the Mets decided to bring him back on a three-year contract worth $75 million. Ever since Manaea signed that contract, it has been a nightmare for him and the team. He had an injury-riddled 2025, where he went 2-4 with an ERA of 5.64 over 12 starts. This season has been even worse, with his ERA increasing to 6.85. It is safe to say they need to move on from him, as this contract isn’t working out for either party.

The Mets Need To Get Rid of Manaea

In 2024, Manaea was a big part of the Mets’ run to the postseason. He made 32 starts for the team, posting a 12-6 record with an ERA of 3.47 and 184 strikeouts. After a rocky June in 2024, he would go on to change his approach when pitching and completely turn it around that year.  He was decent in the postseason that year as well. He would win two of his four starts; his ERA was 4.74, however.

Now, just two years later, he looks like a shell of himself. Not only is his ERA almost a seven, but he has seemed to be non-competitive almost every time he steps out to the mound. It is uncertain what has happened to Manaea, but it seems that, for now, he is unusable.

Manaea Has Looked Awful on the Mound for the Mets

So far this season, Manaea has yet to make a start for the Mets. That was because the team decided to move him to the bullpen before the season started. He was not too happy about the decision, however, but accepted the role change. That could be something that played with Manaea’s confidence and maybe has affected his pitching so far.

Another big issue with him this year is his velocity. His velocity on his fastball used to be around 91-92 mph around a year ago. Since the year has started, Manaea has been around a consistent 87-89 mph, a two to three mph difference. Whether injuries contributed to his downed velocity remains to be seen, but the Mets cannot afford to throw him out there right now.

What Are the Solutions for the Mets Regarding Manaea?

There are only a few solutions for the Mets and Manaea. They can decide to move on from him and trade him, although it’s not clear how much value he has as of now. They can also decide to just DFA Manaea or release him. The issue there is that the Mets would have to eat up the remaining two years on his contract. The last thing, possibly, is that the Mets send him to the minor leagues and let him accept an assignment down there to see how he does.

The Mets made a similar move with Kodai Senga last season when he was completely off to try to get his confidence back. He would end up accepting the assignment and would pitch a few games in the minors to end the year. If Manaea was willing to accept something like that, it would be huge for the franchise if they do not want to get rid of him.

What Will the Mets Do?

It will be intriguing over the next couple of weeks to see what the Mets will do with Manaea. If things continue to free fall, it will only make sense if they decide to cut ties with him. It will also be interesting to see what the team does as a whole, especially if they are still a negative .500 team come the deadline. What kind of value does a guy like him have, and would they be able to get anything out of him, are the questions the Mets should ask themselves. These next couple of weeks will definitely be a deciding factor in what they end up doing with Manaea.

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