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MLB Rumors: Cardinals reunions dead, Mets under-the-radar steal, Yankees foolish confidence

By Cody Williams

Jul 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John
Jul 30, 2023; St. Louis, Missouri, USA; St. Louis Cardinals president of baseball operations John / Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
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MLB Rumors: Mets ink Sean Manaea in budget-friendly masterclass

We've known that Steve Cohen isn't going to sit in the corner and watch the New York Mets wither away this offseason, even with how poorly things transpired after their aggressive pursuits last winter. At the same time, though, the expectation has long been that the Mets would play more of a bargain-bin type of game in free agency this offseason with some potential big swings mixed in.

The big key for the Mets returning to winning ways, though, would be making the right budget-friendly signings, which they may have done with their latest move, signing veteran southpaw Sean Manaea.

MLB insider Jon Heyman first reported the news, putting the deal as a two-year contract worth approximately $28 million. Manaea will also have an opt-out clause after the 2024 season in the deal.

On the surface, you might look at the Mets signing the 31-year-old for $14 million per season as not remotely worth it. The more layers of the onion that you start to peel away, however, and you see the immense value that the veteran lefty could offer, perhaps the most important aspect being his versatility, starting 10 games and appearing as a reliever 17 times last season.

His ability to come out of the bullpen or make a spot start could be highly valuable for the Mets given the situation. Beyond that, Manaea was also simply better and more promising than his 4.44 ERA from last season would indicate. After adding velocity to his fastball last season and also putting a sweeper/slider into his pitch arsenal, Manaea clearly developed a better pitch mix throughout the year, improving his ERA from the first half of the season by nearly 2.00 full points in the second half of the year.

In what is a truly lucrative and competitive pitching market this offseason, landing a player with the upside of Manaea on a relatively modest contract could wind up being one of the better signings of the winter.

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