Former SF Giants southpaw pitcher set to receive a sizable payday this winter

Blake Snell will not be the only former SF Giants lefty who is looking to land a lucrative contract this winter. Southpaw pitcher Sean Manaea should land a sizable contract as well as he continues to dazzle in the postseason.

Former SF Giants southpaw pitcher set to receive a sizable payday this winter

Last offseason was a bad one for superagent Scott Boras. However, he will look to right the ship with a talented profile headlined by Juan Soto, Corbin Burnes, and Snell. You can add Manaea to that mix as well.

Boras' offseason work had already begun with the Matt Chapman extension. Many of his clients, including Manaea, are hoping for a favorable outcome as well.

The lefty pitcher had put together a solid career with the Oakland A's as he posted a 3.86 ERA across six seasons. He was shipped to the San Diego Padres before the 2022 season and pitched to a 4.96 ERA in 30 appearances in his lone season with San Diego.

Despite this, the Giants inked Manaea to a two-year, $25 million deal. This included an opt-out after the first season. The first half of his Giants tenure felt like an extension of his time with the Padres as he struggled to a 5.49 ERA in the first half of the year.

There were stretches early on where he was nearly unplayable and the coaching staff responded by demoting the veteran hurler to the bullpen. For what it is worth, the Giants did use this as an opportunity to create some soft landing spots for Manaea as he adjusted to a change in mechanics and pitch mix.

Manaea subtly dropped his arm slot and began relying more on a sweeper. Development often takes time and the results did not come right away. He posted a 3.43 ERA in 17 appearances in the second half of the year. This included four strong starts to finish out the year.

This gave Manaea all the motivation he needed to opt out and sign a two-year, $28 million pact with the New York Mets. This contract also included an opt-out after the first season that he will almost certainly exercise. He did seemingly drop his arm slot even more with the Mets, helping him register a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts this season.

The nine-year veteran has carried these numbers into October as he allowed one earned run in seven frames against the Philadelphia Phillies in the NLDS. He followed this up by allowing two earned runs in five innings in a win against the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS.

While Manaea raised his stock with a solid 2024 campaign, he is adding to it by excelling against some of the best lineups in baseball.