Was the Sean Manaea signing the last starting pitching addition for the New York Mets this winter?
After a successful first year in Queens, the Mets re-upped with Manaea on a three-year, $75 million contract on Monday. Previously, they had already signed Frankie Montas and Clay Holmes to join the rotation, but Manaea has much more relevant recent success.
However, the Mets’ rotation still looks fairly shaky compared to other National League contenders, most notably the Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Atlanta Braves.
In the wake of the Manaea addition, David Schoenfield of ESPN predicted that the Mets would continue to target starting pitching, though he didn’t believe they would go after an ace.
Schoenfield mentioned Max Scherzer as a potential reunion candidate after a year and a half with the Texas Rangers.
“The Mets still need more starting pitching,” Schoenfield said. “Manaea rejoins a solid rotation that now features Frankie Montas playing the part of Severino, along with a hopefully-recovered Kodai Senga, reliever-turned-starter Clay Holmes and David Peterson.”
“You do wonder if someone like Max Scherzer… might still get a call.”
More so than his contemporary, Justin Verlander, Scherzer still looks like he can shut down opposing lineups when he’s able to pitch these days. Unfortunately, he was limited to just nine starts in 2024, putting up a respectable 3.95 ERA in 43 1/3 innings.
With the Mets in 2022 and 2023, Scherzer had a 20-9 record and 3.02 ERA in 42 starts, the last time in his career he seemed truly dominant. He last made an All-Star team in 2021, the eighth of his career.
Will the Mets call upon Scherzer? It remains to be seen, but if they get word that he’s looking healthy enough for a decent workload in 2025, it makes sense to pull the trigger.
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