Juan Soto needed just one spring training at-bat to fulfill New York Mets’ fans wildest dreams, hitting a home run in his second exhibition swing after signing a $765 million contract.
Yet the spring training injury bug has already hit another, arguably more important area: The starting rotation, where the Mets will be down two arms by opening day.
Left-hander Sean Manaea – re-signed to a three-year, $75 million deal this winter – has a strained right oblique and will be shut down from throwing for two weeks, manager Carlos Mendoza announced to reporters Monday morning.
That will likely put Manaea back at square one in his spring buildup, and with less than three weeks until opening day from his projected return to throwing, should result in Manaea starting the season on the injured list.
Now, the Mets are down two starters, after right-hander Frankie Montas – signed to a two-year, $34 million deal – suffered a high-grade lat strain that figures to cost him the first two months of the regular season.
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They have the depth to withstand the losses – so long as several question marks are answered in Grapefruit League play.
Ace Kodai Senga is already wowing observers by hitting 98 mph on the radar gun one year after a shoulder injury, and left-hander David Peterson should slot in behind him without incident.
Beyond that, the club is relying on former Yankees closer Clay Holmes to convert to the rotation. And for Paul Blackburn, ideally just rotation depth to start the year, to man the No. 4 spot after his 2024 season ended early due to a spinal fluid leak.
And suddenly, right-hander Tylor Megill and Los Angeles Angels castoff Griffin Canning – both considered rotation depth in a best-case scenario – may figure into the picture early in the year.
Manaea’s injury doesn’t appear to be severe enough to force the Mets to consider external options. Yet it certainly creates a suboptimal situation to begin the season. Manaea pitched 181 2/3 innings last season, posting a 3.47 ERA and 1.08 WHIP. He pitched seven innings of one-run ball in a Game 3 victory over Philladelphia in the NL Division Series.
New York re-signed Manaea on Dec. 23, and his $75 million guarantee trailed only Max Fried and Blake Snell for left-handed pitchers on the market.