By Jordan Long
Free agency in Major League Baseball is heating up. The San Francisco Giants are likely to lose pitcher Carlos Rodón since he is a free agent. The New York Yankees are prepared to give him a contract offer. With him gone, the Giants agreed to a deal with left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea.
Manaea is a 7-year veteran. He played for the Oakland Athletics from 2016 to 2021. There he posted a 50-41 record with an ERA of 3.86. He had 3 years of 10+ wins including a career best 12-9 in 2018 for the Athletics. That season his era ended at 3.59, the lowest in a full MLB season for him.
Last season he was traded to the Padres on April 3, 2022. The Oakland Athletics were rebuilding. The Padres, on the other hand, were trying to close the gap between them and the L.A. Dodgers, hoping to win the National League West Division.
In a Padres’ uniform, Manaea’s record was 8-9, not exactly what the Padres thought they would get from him. His ERA ended at 4.96, the worst of his career. Despite those numbers, the Padres finished the regular season with a record of 89-73, earning a playoff spot as one of the three Wild Card teams in the National League. They advanced to the National League Championship Series where they fell to the Philadelphia Phillies in 5 games.
In the postseason run for the Padres, Manaea pitched 1.1 innings, giving up 4 hits and 5 earned runs. His ERA was a disappointing 33.75. Once the year was over, the Padres decided not to sign him to a new contract, letting him test free agency.
The Giants knew they needed to replace Rodón in the pitching rotation. They agreed to a 2-year $25 million deal with Manaea. This is a risk. Manaea isn’t a top 3 pitcher for the Giants. He could be the 4th or 5th pitcher in the rotation. His numbers don’t show he is worth $12.5 million per year. At least he is back in the Bay Area where he had the best numbers in his career. Maybe this is the change Manaea needs.
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