2 Mets free agents who are a must to re-sign, 1 who actually isn't a good fit to return

The New York Mets had a ton of players hit free agency at the start of the off-season. Many of the players who are now on the open market were critical members of their 2024 team, so letting some walk would be a hard pill to swallow. However, there are a few specific free agents the Mets should absolutely retain. Today, let's identify two free agents the Mets should bring back into the fold, along with one they should let walk to another team.

The Mets need to re-sign Sean Manaea

The Mets had five starters make at least 15 starts last year, but only two have a contract for 2025. If the Mets resign any of their starting pitchers who are entering free agency, it should be Sean Manaea. The veteran left-hander is coming off his best season since the Oakland Athletics traded him away after the 2021 campaign.

Manaea pitched a career-high 181.2 innings, working to a 3.47 ERA, 3.83 FIP, and 1.08 WHIP. He struck out just under a quarter of opponents with a 24.9% K% while also carrying a roughly league-average 8.5% walk rate. His 1.01 HR/9 rate was also slightly better than average, as was his average exit velocity (88.6 MPH) and barrel rate (7.5%).

Manaea made a ton of changes in his game from 2023 to 2024. His arm angle dropped from 28 degrees with the San Francisco Giants in 2023 to 22 degrees in 2024. Manaea's four-seamer had been his primary pitch in 2022 and 2023. But his sinker became his go-to offering for the first time since 2021. Not only did his sinker become his most used offering in 2024, but it returned with more movement. Manaea's sinker averaged out with 22.7 inches of vertical drop with 16 inches of arm-side break, compared to 20.1/13.9 inches in '21.

The sinker wasn't Manaea's only pitch that saw a change. His sweeper also became an integral part of his arsenal while averaging out with 44.1 inches of drop and 12.9 inches of glove-side break. In 2023, he only averaged 40.6 inches of drop and 10.5 inches of break. But Manaea had to sacrifice some velo in order to achieve this, going from about 80 MPH to 77-78 MPH.

Manaea is expected to make $60 million on a three-year deal ($20 million AAV), per MLB Trade Rumors' estimation. That's a decent price for a pitcher with the ability to put up #2-3 caliber numbers. The Mets definitely need a durable starter like Manaea. His durability, along with his solid numbers, make him a great rotation anchor.