The San Francisco Giants have agreed to sign left-handed starting pitcher Sean Manaea to a two-year, $25 million deal with an opt-out clause after the 2023 season, reports Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
Manaea, 30, was 8-9 with a 4.96 ERA (75 ERA+), 1.30 WHIP and 156 strikeouts in 158 innings in 30 appearances with the Padres last season. He did some decent-to-good work at times in the early going, albeit on an inconsistent basis, but he fell apart in the second half, pitching to a 6.56 ERA in the season's final two months.
Maybe a return to the Bay Area will serve Manaea well? He spent the first six years of his MLB career with the A's. In his time there, he was 50-41 with a 3.86 ERA (107 ERA+), averaging 3.3 WAR per 162 games. That puts him squarely in mid-rotation starter territory and we have seen the Giants get the most out of some starters in recent memory, too.
Assuming the Giants are unable to bring back lefty Carlos Rodón in free agency, their rotation for the 2023 season might be set.
Then again, we know they have plenty of money to spend in free agency this offseason, as they've already made a significant bid on Aaron Judge. That means it's possible to use some more of the money earmarked for Judge on additional starting pitching.
For now, Manaea is returning to the Bay Area, this time on the San Francisco side.
