Manaea enters new year with plenty to prove, ample opportunity

NEW YORK -- It can be easy to forget, in this era of major change around Flushing, that the Mets’ highest-paid pitcher is Sean Manaea. Last offseason, the Mets committed three years and $75 million to Manaea coming off a breakout season at age 32. They hoped his permanently dropped arm angle would result in more of the same.

Instead, Manaea strained his right oblique muscle in Spring Training and learned during his rehab that he had a loose body in his left elbow. Recovering from both injuries cost Manaea almost the entire first half, and when he returned, Manaea was not his old self. He finished with a 5.64 ERA in 15 appearances (12 starts).

He now enters 2026 with plenty to prove … and likely plenty of opportunity to do so. Even though New York has top prospect Nolan McLean (No. 11 overall), Brandon Sproat (Mets' No. 5), Jonah Tong (Mets' No. 4/No. 46 overall), Christian Scott, Kodai Senga, Clay Holmes and David Peterson all returning to the rotation mix, Manaea’s contract alone should put him high on the priority list for a spot. His track record suggests he deserves it, given that Manaea will be only a year removed from his status as the Mets’ nominal staff ace.

If nothing else, he finally feels healthy. While he never had an operation to remove the loose body, Manaea has been performing upper-body workouts and throwing without discomfort. He hopes to go the rest of his career without surgical intervention on the elbow.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s a thing of the past,” Manaea said last month at a Metsgiving charity event. “I don’t feel anything right now, and I haven’t in a few months now. So until something does, I think I’ll worry about it then. But as far as I’m concerned, I feel like it was never a problem to begin with.”

Manaea paused.

“I mean, it was. But I’m just taking that mindset.”

How much the elbow affected him last season, especially at the beginning of his return, is something even Manaea can’t fully answer. At first, the left-hander worried that he would feel discomfort while pitching. But after a few weeks of pain-free outings, he forced himself to shove elbow concerns out of his mind. While that didn’t wind up helping his results, it did allow Manaea to move confidently into the offseason.

“I would say once August came around, it was definitely [normal],” Manaea said. “I hated being 50-50, being on the fence like, ‘Should I worry about it all the time?’ It’s just not a good place to be. So once August came around, I would say I just felt good.”

Now, Manaea is a former frontline starter with something to prove. Over a decade in the Majors, Manaea has produced multiple strong seasons and multiple ineffective ones, nursing his share of injuries along the way. At his best, Manaea is a crossfire lefty who can perform a reasonable Chris Sale impression. He just hasn’t consistently been that pitcher.

This offseason, Manaea has been working with new pitching coach Justin Willard and other staffers to clean up his mechanics and perfect his pitch shapes -- two constant battles for the 6-foot-5 left-hander. Manaea has also concentrated on his conditioning in hopes of remaining strong deeper into games. That was a significant trouble point in 2025 for Manaea, who posted a 4.15 ERA during the first three innings of games and a 7.62 ERA after that.

This time around, the Mets won’t necessarily need Manaea to be their ace -- not if McLean turns into the pitcher they believe he can be. The Mets just need health and steady mid-rotation contributions from a veteran under contract for two more seasons.

Manaea believes he’s in the right headspace to provide that. Earlier this offseason, Manaea traveled to Italy with his wife and infant daughter, which he beamed about when he relayed details of the trip. He also moved his offseason home to Florida, where he’s spent most of his time either throwing, working out or adjusting to the realities of being a first-time dad.

“It’s definitely challenging,” Manaea said of fatherhood. “Definitely some sleepless nights. But every time I look at her, I go, ‘Ah!’ It’s definitely the most rewarding thing I can think of. And I think I’m getting the dad strength in, so that’s a plus.”