Pros and cons of all 3 Athletics pitchers

Pros and cons of NY Mets trade candidate Sean Manaea

Another player headed to free agency next winter, Manaea also falls into the “must trade” category for Oakland. Letting him play out the season would be foolish if there is no intention to sign him or do everything in their power to compete in 2022. Everything seems to indicate the A’s will not plan on winning for at least a few more years.

Manaea has been a well-known pitcher for a couple of seasons now. A relatively healthy arm with the exception of the 2019 campaign where he made only 5 starts, he’s the lone lefty on this list which definitely adds to his value.

The Mets currently don’t have that trusted lefty in their rotation. Whether it matters or not, it should be something to mull over when deciding how they plan to build a better roster.

Manaea has been excellent at finding the plate in his career and managed to raise his strikeout rate to 9.7 per nine last season—a new career-best. He fits in with what the Mets really need.

The same sentiments about his control that are true of Bassitt are there for Manaea as well. Having him around for one year is helpful and should lower the price tag a little bit. This can allow the Mets to regroup next offseason and assess whether he returns or not. In Manaea’s case, a lot of whether or not the Mets should trade for him comes down to the asking price. Anything outrageous and it’s time to turn elsewhere.