3 possible landing spots for Sean Manaea
Sean Manaea had what could be considered his best season in the majors last year. He finally emerged as the top of the rotation arm that the Oakland A’s had been waiting for, giving the team a solid 1-2 punch with Chris Bassitt. While there were bouts of inconsistency, Manaea was finally what the A’s needed.
His breakout could not have been timed better. Manaea is in his final year of arbitration and is set to receive a significant pay raise this offseason. Meanwhile, for the A’s, his breakout will be costly in terms of their budget. As the team is reportedly looking to chop payroll by a significant amount, that could lead to players such as Manaea being placed on the trade block.
Three potential landing spots for Sean Manaea
The A’s would not have a shortage of suitors for Manaea. Virtually any team with designs on competing for a championship would want to add him to their stable of arms. The A’s may well be able to restock their farm system in a hurry if they trade him away.
Sean Manaea is expected to be on the trade block once the Oakland A’s are ready to make deals. Let’s look at three possible landing spots.
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs would seem to be a strange landing spot for Sean Manaea. After all, they did just have a fire sale only four months ago.
But the Cubs have also stated that they are not looking at going through an extended rebuilding process. Instead, they are looking to spend in free agency and potentially reload for another run at the postseason.
That is a difficult task given the state of their pitching staff, particularly the starting rotation. Kyle Hendricks and Wade Miley are the top two starters, which is not what any rotation with postseason aspirations should look like. Chicago needs another arm, one that can possibly lead the pitching staff into a playoff spot.
Manaea may not be the ace that the Cubs need, but he would be an upgrade at the top of their rotation. He would also remove one of the other question marks that they have in their rotation at present, providing much more depth. Although he would not solve all of their pitching needs, Manaea would be a start.
The Chicago Cubs are looking to reload for another run at the postseason. Adding Sean Manaea would help with that goal.
New York Yankees
While most of the rumors involving a trade between the Oakland A’s and New York Yankees involve Matt Olson, Sean Manaea would also fit a desperate need.
The Yankees, despite winning 92 games last season, have quite a few needs on their roster. The pitching staff, particularly the rotation, needs a great deal of attention. Gerrit Cole is a proven ace, and Nestor Cortes Jr. looked good last season, but the rotation following Cole is a giant question mark.
Manaea would help to solidify that situation. He would be put into the perfect position, slotting in as their second starter and taking pressure off of Cortes. It is also possible that he could be more than a one year rental as the Yankees would be able to place the Qualifying Offer on him due to a trade during the offseason.
Acquiring Manaea could also help fill another spot of need. The Yankees have said that they are not necessarily focusing on shortstop in free agency, monitoring the market instead of making moves to land one of the top players. Adding Elvis Andrus may limit the A’s return, but would also give the Yankees a stopgap at short.
The Oakland A’s and New York Yankees match up for multiple trades. Sean Manaea could be one of the players on the move to New York.
New York Mets
The New York Mets have been trying to add pitching this offseason.
First, they gave Noah Syndergaard the Qualifying Offer. Then they essentially ghosted him, leaving him to go to the Angels. Next, they thought they had an agreement with Steven Matz. Instead, he went to the Cardinals on a four year deal, not allowing the Mets a chance to match although ownership claims that his representation stated they would have the opportunity. Throughout it all, the Mets still need to add arms to a rotation that is Jacob deGrom and a lot of nothing.
The Mets’ best option may be to go after a pitcher or two that has no choice but to head to New York. That leaves the trade route and a potential deal with the A’s. Manaea would slot perfectly behind deGrom to give the Mets a solid 1-2 punch once again, allowing them to find another piece for the middle of the rotation.
Manaea is not the only player on the A’s that makes sense for the Mets. They have been linked to Matt Chapman as well as they are in the market for a third baseman. This could be another situation where a package deal could work, provided the Mets have enough prospects that the A’s would be interested in.
A's may not have to purchase land after all. dark. Next
The New York Mets are desperately trying to get anyone to come to the organization. A trade for Sean Manaea would not leave him another choice.