3 pitchers that make sense for the Mets with Lucas Giolito off the market

3) Sean Manaea

One additional option that could be of interest to the Mets is former San Francisco Giants left-hander Sean Manaea. The 31-year-old southpaw opted out of his deal last month with the Giants, leaving over $12 million on the table to find greener pastures in free agency.

Manaea would be a perfect option for the back-end of the Mets rotation as he is your prototypical 4th or 5th starter, and had shown last season there is plenty of life left in his arm. While he pitched to a tough 4.44 ERA over 37 appearances and 10 starts, Manaea would thrive under the guidance of a pitching coach like Jeremy Hefner and the friendly confines of Citi Field.

Manaea also had the highest strikeout rate per nine innings of his entire career last year in San Francisco, as he posted a career-high 9.8 strikeouts per nine innings, while also allowing one of the lowest opponent batting averages of his career at .234.

Manaea may be looking for a 2-3 year commitment on the current market, and for the Mets, it could be a worthwhile gamble on a pitcher who could slide into the back of their rotation and still have his best days ahead of him.