The Mets are moving left-hander Sean Manaea to the bullpen, according to a report from Will Sammon and Tim Britton of The Athletic. Manaea told reporters before today’s game against the Rangers that he’s set to be available out of the bullpen during the game, and that if he’s not used in tonight’s game he’s likely to be used in relief of starter Clay Holmes for Tuesday’s series opener against the Padres.
The Mets, as noted by Sammon and Britton, have used a six-man rotation recently thanks to the promotions of rookies Jonah Tong, Brandon Sproat, Nolan McLean. With days off both tomorrow and next Monday, however, the Mets are opting to go back down to five starters through the end of the regular season. McLean (1.42 ERA in five starts) and Sproat (2.25 ERA in two starts) have both been nothing short of excellent, making it an easy decision to leave them both in the rotation alongside Holmes and Peterson. That left one spot in the rotation for Manaea and Tong, and New York will stick with the 22-year-old despite his six-run blow-up outing against the Rangers on Friday.
It’s hard to view that as anything other than a reflection of Manaea’s poor performance this year. The lefty was crucial to New York’s success in both the regular season and postseason last year, but was sidelined until just before the All-Star break by an oblique strain and a loose body in his elbow. His return to the mound hasn’t exactly inspired confidence, as he’s pitched to a 5.76 ERA in 50 innings of work across ten starts. While his 29.2% strikeout rate is incredibly impressive, particularly against a 4.6% walk rate, that’s led only to great peripherals like his 3.03 SIERA.
Manaea’s actual results have been well below par, and while much of that can be attributed to poor luck when it comes to sequencing and batted balls another real issue for the lefty has been keeping the ball in the park. He’s surrendered a career-high 9.4% barrel rate this year, and that’s led to ten home runs allowed this season. Perhaps move into a relief role can help him get things back on track over the final weeks of the regular season. If the Mets manage to make it to October despite their recent eight-game skid, Manaea will surely be crucial to keeping the pitching staff afloat regardless of what role he ends up pitching in.
Perhaps, if pitching in shorter bursts can help Manaea avoid the long ball over the next few weeks, he’ll be able to help stabilize a bullpen that has struggled badly of late. Ryan Helsley has never looked quite right since leaving the Cardinals, Reed Garrett and Ryne Stanek have faltered, and even Edwin Diaz blew a save and found himself on the hook for the loss in last night’s game against Texas. Typical pitching roles often go out the window in the postseason, and if Manaea is able to get big outs for the Mets in October out of the bullpen, they’d likely be happy to take that production even if it means him not being part of the rotation mix.
Another potential x-factor for the Mets is right-hander Kodai Senga, who has pitched like a front-of-the-rotation starter in the past but was optioned to Triple-A earlier this month after a string of eight starts where he pitched to a 6.56 ERA. Those starts came after a stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, however, and Senga looked incredible in six innings of work for Syracuse on Friday night. Perhaps he could bump Tong from the big league rotation before the end of the year if he continues to look good, and even if not Senga figures to be part of the Mets’ postseason pitching plans in some capacity if they make it there.
What a mess.
Who would that be?
Anyone who has watched Manaea for the past few years knew that the good stretch he had early last year was a fluke.
He was healthy last year. This year his body is betraying him. I think once he goes under the knife and gets those chips removed from his elbow, he’ll be closer to the guy he was in 2024.
He was healthy in the past and didn’t do well. I have to agree with taran – he pitched last year for the contract, and now that he has it, he can breathe.
@padam Its conviemt that no-one mentions “playing for a contract” when players have bad seasons. The notion that some of these athletes playing the game at the absolute highest level are giving only a portion of what they are capable of only to kick it up a notch in contract years is laughable. Just staying at the MLB levelntakes 110% from most. What we consider down seasons takes talent most of us can’t even comprehend having.
The good stretch was at the end of 2025. Rewrite your narrative please.
Taran7 & Soto,
You both are partially correct.
Taran: good stretch last year (but not early).
Soto: good stretch end of the year (but not 2025).
@taran7 It was built on a .191 BABIP his last 10 regular season starts. He just got incredibly lucky.
I sorted through Greg Maddux’s four straight Cy Young winning seasons. His BABIP for those four years was .261. He never had a 10 game stretch under .220.
Manaea wasn’t just lucky, he was historically lucky. Even guys like Clayton Kershaw only have career BABIPs of .275, and Manaea otherwise is at .287..
BABIP isn’t a statistic that only indicates luck.
It indicates that there is a factor out of the ordinary that is causing an abnormal aberration in the batting average. Yes, this could be just luck, but in Manaea’s case, it likely has to do with him drastically changing his arm angle.
That is not an informed opinion. “WATCHING” is not analysis – please share what you observed that predicted the results were not repeatable 2024 to 2025.
$75mil
50 ip
5.76 era
And now removed from rotation
Anyone with half a brain knew this was gonna happen. Very disappointing followup season from stearns
The kids have arrived. The money can be placed in the bullpen and field. They have 1B, 2B, 3B, CF, and C to address. Benge and Williams will most likely be slotted for 2B and CF, and Alvarez at C for now. I can see Alonso resigning which covers 1B and 3B being the wild card. DH can be a combo of Vientos and Baty.
Between the three kids, Peterson and either Senga or Manaea I see that as the staff for next year with Holmes moving to the bullpen and either Senga or Manaea (the later being moved in a salary dump with a prospect or two). Holmes would be the ideal setup guy and a spot starter if injuries occur. As for everyone else that’s pending free agency (with the exception of Alonso) – good bye.
If you’re betting your 2026 season on three rookies on the basis of 10 combined MLB starts, you’re either:
a) too optimistic to be a Mets fan
or
b) David Stearns
@poison – There’s a reason they’re ranked where they are on the prospects list. I’m not stating they’ll be completely responsible for any success, but if they can toss 3-4 ERAs and the money is shifted to the pen and 3B, they’d be well positioned. Williams is ready and can play CF until Benge is ready. I’m simply stating they’re filling starting roles at rookie dollars whereas money can be directed to where it really needs to go – instead of signing players like Manaea and Montas.
Few pitching prospects come up tossing 3-4 ERAs and most are limited on total innings pitched first season or 2 at MLB level. You are just blindly making assumptions here that dont jive with reality.
padam, In what world is Williams ready for the majors when he’s posting a .660 OPS in triple-A? How many prospects are ever ready for the majors after just 6 weeks in AAA?
And Williams is not regarded as a starting CF by anyone. He played only 21% of his games there in AA, and the only starts he’s gotten in CF in AAA were when Benge was on the IL.
You have no understanding of how the prospect rankings work and what they mean. They are not a measure of a player’s readiness, or even how good he will be. They are strictly a measure of his tools and what is CEILING could be.
The Mets will be lucky if one of them does that for a full season, two of them would be quite a stretch and three is comical to believe in. It’s the 30th anniversary of Generation K and those of us old enough to remember what happened (or not) with Pulsipher, Wilson and Isringhausen. The Mets need an ace, and a number two and three if Senga’s issues aren’t solved.
I doubt Benge & Williams will be handed starting jobs by opening day. Williams has a shot but not Benge.
I agree with this for the most part. McNeil will still be at 2B next year and I’m not sure if Benge or Jett will be ready to start the season next year. But when they are, Jett is flexible at SS, 2B, and CF. McNeil is flexible at 2B or the outfield. Benge is strictly an OF but can play all three.
3B and DH should be Baty and Vientos, respectively. Baty has hit LHP a little better and should get more opportunities to try it, imo.
Agreed on the pitching. Pour any resources into the bullpen. Maybe another starter, though probably not an ace-level. Manaea will probably get surgery as soon as the season ends and hopefully he’s healthy and can give them #3 starter numbers.
Benge and Williams. are both off to slow starts in AAA. At least Williams has started to sow some improvement. Benge’s OPS has regressed and is now 370ish. To suggest that they jump from this in September AAA to starting in the majors in April is just blind optimism with basis in reality.
I doubt Milwaukee Stearns would have given Manaea $75M, but NYM Stearns did….
I also doubt Milwaukee Stearns would have signed Montas unless it was a no risk low $ deal.
Cohen wanted Soto, and despite his defense, he is an incredible offensive force and not the reason for the Mets failure to win more……and for anyone old enough to remember, Soto is not the worst outfielder the Mets have had. I think Ralph Kiner once uttered the phrase “it fell among Kingman”. Dave hit mammoth hr’s but was always an adventure in the field.
Obviously Stearns can only build a team based on what’s available, but Manaea, Montas, Blackburn, Megill, Canning, Peterson, Holmes are all back end starters and while Senga and the 3 rookies have flashed front end stuff, I’d guess that 29 of 30 GM’s would have said in Spring Training that the Mets lacked the starting pitching to be a serious WS contender
There were plenty top end starters available that Stearns ignored completely
Same thing happened to that Red Sox fan that was crying about the Mets not sure what happened but oh well…
It seems trolls are being weeded out, saving us from using the mute button
Move them all to the bullpen, rotation sucks except for the new kids.
“a loose body in his elbow”
What the hell does that mean?
Bone chips
Either a bone chip as small as 1 mm in diameter, or Sydney Sweeney.
You decide.
It’s a remote possibility it could be Kuato?
I guess second is the new first
“If you ain’t first you’re last!”~ Ricky Bobby.
For the rest of this season put Senga in the BP, unless Tong does bad in his next outing or 2. Than in the off season I would try to trade both Manaea and Senga and go after Skenes ( Acuna/Mauricio/Suero/Tong or Sproat).
2026 rotation Skenes, McLean, Peterson (Sproat or Tong) and Christian Scott. With Holmes and Megill in the pen, resigning Rogers, if Diaz opts out let him go
There is absolutely no reason for Pittsburgh to make that trade. They’re not looking for IFs, and Acuna and Mauricio are nowhere near the value of player they’d be looking to get for Skenes, even as the secondary players in that trade.
People seem ready to trash Manaea when the dude literally has bone chips loose in his pitching elbow right now. It’s been reported as extremely painful. You can make the argument that he shouldn’t even be out there, but he’s trying to grit through it and give them something this season.
Most are clueless to what having bone chips entails. The anatomy of the human body does not have voids for things to freely move around having no impact on other areas. Those bone chips will press outward often pressing against nerves as well as making area inflamed. For a pitcher I imagine it is anything but pleasant.
Mets poised for a deep run, they got their losing streak out ahead of time
“Poised for a deep run” to miss the postseason. SF and Cincy can still poach that last wild card with 2 weeks left.
Um, they have been losing since mid-June. I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I recall reading they have the 3rd worst record in baseball since then. Other than a brief offensive resurgence for two weeks in August, they have been hard to watch.
That said, once your are in the playoffs, anything can happen.
That’s the thought, buy low on the Metsies
I guess the Mets made the Tong choice.
OK ill play, the Price is Tong, beeyatch
Manaea changed his arm angle last season and batters couldn’t figure him out. Now that there is plenty of video of his new release the batters have caught up. He’s never going to be able to replicate last season.
1-800-BAR-TOLO! Why not at this point?
Right up there with your pathetic account and pointless comment that adds nothing meaningful.
Based on your posting history you truly sound like someone who acts all high and mighty but I am sure behind that trolling facade of yours is just a weak and sad infant who can’t handle people who think differently then you. How sad you live off of hatred. maybe if you left the basement of your parent’s home and change who you are maybe you can honestly contribute something worthwhile for once in your life instead of being a disgrace and letting your bloodline down.
How ironic you say that yet all you do is post about how much of a joke the Mets are and insult them and their fans your not fooling anyone no matter what you say people aren’t blind to notice that unless your implying that people on here are fools.. But it is funny seeing how you can never stop talking about the Mets how much a team you hate dictates your life and can never stop thinking about them they live rent free in your head.