Manaea to begin in bullpen as Mets set rotation

PORT ST. LUCIE Fla. -- Left-hander Sean Manaea will begin the season in the New York Mets' bullpen, manager Carlos Mendoza announced Saturday morning.

Mendoza said Manaea will be used in a piggyback role, meaning he will relieve a starter to log multiple innings in a game, but declined to share which game he'll pitch. The Mets' Opening Day rotation, in order, will be Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes and Kodai Senga.

"Six guys throwing the ball really well," Mendoza said. "And we were pretty honest with all of them at the beginning of camp. If everyone was healthy, we were going to have to make some tough decisions and one of them was going to be pitching in that type of role."

Mendoza said the team decided a five-rotation was best for two turns given the early schedule, which includes an off day after next Thursday's season opener against the Pittsburgh Pirates. The club will then reevaluate its rotation before it plays nine games in nine days, perhaps going to a six-man rotation with Manaea included.

The manager emphasized that Manaea "will make starts for us." For now, Manaea, the sixth-highest-paid player on the roster, will start an intrasquad game Monday before the Mets head north to begin the season.

"I consider myself a starter, but to not be that is frustrating," Manaea said. "But at the end of the day, I'm just gonna let my pitching do the work in whatever capacity that is."

Manaea, 34, signed a three-year, $75 million before last season after his strong second half in 2024 boosted the Mets' unexpected run to the National League Championship Series. His 2025 season, however, was an injury-plagued disappointment. Pitching through a loose body in his elbow, he compiled a 5.64 ERA over 15 games (12 starts) after missing the season's first 3½ months with a strained oblique.

Manaea avoided offseason surgery on the elbow and reported to spring training unhindered. He bookended his three Grapefruit League starts with sharp outings, including four scoreless innings Tuesday against the Marlins. But his fastball velocity has hovered in the upper 80s, a drop that continued an alarming recent pattern: Manaea's fastball velocity has declined each season since 2023, from 93.8 mph to 91.7 mph in 2025.

Manaea has maintained he is healthy. He said he expects to throw harder when there is the adrenaline of the regular-season games. Mendoza insisted the velocity drop did not factor into the team's decision to have Manaea begin the season in the bullpen. In the end, it was a numbers game, and the Mets decided Manaea was the odd man out.

"I'm still pitching in the big leagues," Manaea said, "so I can't complain about anything."