SF Giants could reunite with former pitcher in this mock trade with New York Mets

The SF Giants are in need of help with their starting rotation and the New York Mets are reportedly interested in closer Camilo Doval. Perhaps a trade that brings Sean Manaea back to the Giants and sends Doval to New York could be mutually beneficial.

Giants fans will remember Manaea from his one season in San Francisco back in 2023. That year he had a 4.44 ERA in 37 appearances and 10 games started with 117 and 2/3 innings pitched on the year.

SF Giants could reunite with Sean Manaea in mock trade with Mets

Manaea had the option to remain with the Giants after 2023, but he opted out of his deal and tested free agency which led him to the Mets. He had a solid 2024 for New York, recording a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts and 181 and 2/3 innings pitched.

With how well he pitched last year, including in the playoffs, it was clear that he was grossly misused by the Giants in 2023. Maybe that is why he decided to leave and forego a reunion with manager Bob Melvin who was his skipper in both Oakland and San Diego.

Manaea missed all of the first half of this season dealing with an injury, but he just returned from the IL and has looked really good. In three games and two starts he has a 2.19 ERA in 12 and 1/3 innings pitched.

The lefty signed a three-year, $75 million contract with New York prior to the season. It would be a bit odd to trade him in the first year of that deal, but they may decide that they need bullpen help more than rotation help.

We saw in the recent series between the Mets and Giants that New York's closer Edwin Díaz can be a bit shaky at times even though his numbers overall on the year are strong. Adding Doval would give New York a solid eighth inning arm who could also close if needed.

Rival executives believe the Giants should do their due diligence and listen to offers for Doval. Since the Giants have a number of strong bullpen arms, trading Doval would still leave them with a good bullpen. Trading from the bullpen to address the rotation may not be a bad strategy.

New York may ask for more than just Doval in exchange for Manaea, but a straight up trade would not be out of the question. Both players are under contract for several more years and neither is a rental while they would both be fulfilling current needs for each respective team.

The Giants would love to keep Doval in a perfect world, but if they are serious about improving their rotation then a mock trade like this one would make sense for both sides.

More from Around the Foghorn: