FLUSHING, N.Y., January 12, 2024 – The New York Mets today announced the club has signed left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea to a two-year contract with a player opt-out after the 2024 season. In a corresponding move, infielder Diego Castillo has been designated for assignment.
Manaea, 31, established a career-high strikeout rate (9.8 K/9) in 2023 with the San Francisco Giants as he appeared in a career-high 37 games (10 starts). He had a 3.43 ERA (23 ER/60.1 IP) over 17 second half appearances compared to a 5.49 ERA (35 ER/57.1 IP) over 20 first half appearances in 2023. From July 29 through the end of the season, he posted a 2.61 ERA (15 ER/51.2 IP), the third-best mark in the NL and ninth-best in the majors (min. 50.0 IP).
“Sean is a valuable addition to our pitching staff who gives our rotation another strong left-handed option and we were very encouraged by what we saw from him in the second half last season,” Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns said. “Since breaking into the majors in 2016, he has established himself as one of the most consistent left-handed pitchers in the game.”
Manaea introduced a new pitch, the sweeper, into his arsenal at the end of May last year. The pitch generated a 35.1 percent whiff rate and kept batters to a .140 average and .163 slugging percentage. The southpaw allowed just six hits (five singles and a double) in 49 plate appearances ending with the offering.
Manaea ranks in the top-10 among left-handed pitchers in several categories since 2016, his rookie season, including innings (1002.2, seventh), wins (65, ninth) and strikeouts (925, 10th).
Manaea was a first-round selection (34th overall) by the Kansas City Royals in the 2013 First-Year Player Draft. He has pitched eight major league seasons with Oakland (2016-2021), San Diego (2022) and San Francisco (2023).
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