SF Giants sign former Padres LHP Sean Manaea to two-year, $25 million deal
The SF Giants appear to have filled out their 2023 starting rotation. According to a report by Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Giants have agreed to a two-year, $25 million contract with free-agent starter Sean Manaea. Per Heyman, the deal includes an opt-out after the first season for the left-handed pitcher. Manaea was ranked the 32nd-best free agent this offseason in Giants Baseball Insider's rankings.
The SF Giants have signed Sean Manaea after an up-and-down season with the Padres. (2022)
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Manaea will be familiar to Bay Area baseball fans, who watched him pitch for the Oakland Athletics from 2016-2021. Then, last offseason, the A's traded Manaea to the San Diego Padres, where he struggled to match his previous levels of performance.
In 2022, Manaea recorded a career-worst 4.96 ERA in 158 innings pitched with 156 strikeouts and 50 walks. However, ERA estimators seemed to suggest that Manaea suffered from some bad luck during his tenure in San Diego. His xERA (4.06), FIP (4.53), and xFIP (3.96) were all notably lower than his ERA. Moreover, his ERA has never swayed significantly from ERA estimators before, suggesting he's due for positive regression. Over his career, Manaea has a 4.06 ERA (4.07 FIP and 4.05 xFIP) in nearly 900 innings pitched.
Manaea joins a projected Giants rotation that includes Logan Webb, Alex Cobb, Alex Wood, and Anthony DeSclafani. Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi expected to add at least one starter this offseason, pushing Jakob Junis to a swingman/long-reliever role, and Manaea fills that spot. However, DeSclafani is returning from a severe ankle injury and is in his mid-30s. It would not be out of the question that Zaidi could be eyeing another addition.
The Giants have had great success under Zaidi helping pitchers like Manaea rebuild their free-agent value with breakout seasons. One of the primary ways the team has helped pitchers succeed has been by shifting their pitch usage. Manaea, has relied heavily on his sinker throughout his career, throwing it roughly 60% of the time every year. However, Manaea's changeup and slider might be his best offerings. Given the Giants' track-record, it seems reasonable to expect his sinker usage to drop significantly next season.
The Giants offseason has been defined by several big-name players who have signed with other teams. However, Sean Manaea now joins outfielder Mitch Haniger as another notable offseason addition. Neither player are stars, and the SF Giants are still presumably eyeing a more notable acquisition, but they both address clear needs on the roster.
