NEW YORK — The New York Mets have made significant offseason decisions, starting with their choice to reject a contract option for reliever Phil Maton for the year 2025. Simultaneously, they extended $21.05 million qualifying offers to starting pitchers Sean Manaea and Luis Severino.
Maton is now a free agent after the Mets opted against his $7,775,000 contract option, instead opting for a buyout of $250,000. Additionally, first baseman Pete Alonso was also given a $21.05 million qualifying offer—a move that had been anticipated for some time. Alonso, Manaea, and Severino have until 4 p.m. EST on November 19 to decide on the one-year offer.
If accepted, they will secure contracts with the Mets for the 2025 season. Conversely, should they decline and choose to sign with other teams, those teams will need to forfeit draft picks, allowing the Mets to gain at least one draft pick as compensation.
Among these players, Severino may be in the best position to accept the offer. The 30-year-old right-hander had a solid first season with the Mets, finishing with an 11-7 record and a 3.91 ERA over 31 starts, while earning a $13 million salary for 2024. Prior to joining the Mets, he played eight seasons with the New York Yankees.
The mechanism of qualifying offers has been in place since 2012, resulting in only 13 out of 131 offers being accepted thus far.
Manaea, on the other hand, has turned down his $13.5 million option, making him a free agent for the third year in a row. The 32-year-old left-hander had a contract in place from January that guaranteed him a $14.5 million salary for 2024. He delivered a record of 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA in 32 starts last season, accumulating 184 strikeouts against 63 walks across 181 and two-thirds innings.
After adjusting his arm slot midseason, Manaea emerged as the Mets’ top starting pitcher, achieving a 6-2 record with a 3.09 ERA for the remainder of the season. In the playoffs, he also performed capably, going 2-1 with a 4.74 ERA over four starts, contributing to the Mets’ unexpected advance to the National League Championship Series, where they were ultimately defeated by the Los Angeles Dodgers, the eventual World Series champions.
As for Maton, he recorded a 2-1 record along with a 2.51 ERA and one save in 31 appearances this past season after being traded from Tampa Bay on July 9. Overall, he posted a 3-3 record and a 3.66 ERA in a career-high 71 games, earning $6.25 million. Unfortunately for him, his postseason performance was less than stellar, as he went 0-1 with an 8.53 ERA over six appearances, surrendering four home runs alongside 11 hits and four walks in just 6 and one-third innings.
Additionally, the Mets claimed right-handed pitcher Kevin Herget from the Milwaukee Brewers and infielder Luis De Los Santos from the Toronto Blue Jays. Meanwhile, left-handers Matt Gage and Joey Lucchesi, along with outfielder DJ Stewart, were sent outright to Triple-A Syracuse, with Lucchesi and Stewart opting for free agency.