Sean Manaea Hopes This Change Can Help Recapture 2024 Form

Sean Manaea had a rough 2025 season, but thinks a key mechanical change can help him recapture his dominant 2024 form.

Sep 28, 2025; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Sean Manaea (59) pitches against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at loanDepot Park. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

One of the biggest disappointments for the New York Mets in 2025 was a decline in performance from lefty Sean Manaea. The Mets re-signed Manaea to a three-year, $75 million deal in the hopes that a mechanical change made late in the 2024 season would lead to ace-like results, but saw him miss time with injuries and struggle upon returning.

Read More: Mets’ Sean Manaea Provides Update on Elbow Injury

Manaea went just 2-4 with a 5.64 ERA in 15 appearances (12 starts) last season. The Mets lost significant trust in Manaea down the stretch, piggybacking him with Clay Holmes in late September and asking him to go just one inning in a do-or-die Game 162, showcasing how far their late 2024 ace had fallen.

"I don't think he ever got to a place that he felt that he was the guy that we saw in 2024."

Carlos Mendoza talks about Sean Manaea's 2025 season and looking forward to watching him pitch in 2026: pic.twitter.com/RSFuAyxI9g

— SNY (@SNYtv) February 13, 2026

New pitching coach Justin Willard has gotten to work with many of the Mets' pitchers already this offseason and has strong hopes that Manaea can recapture his 2024 form. In a story for The Athletic, Will Sammon spoke with him and Manaea about what changes Manaea could make this winter; the southpaw revealed he tweaked his arm slot again over the winter while working with a private pitching lab.

For the Mets, a lot hinges on what they can get from certain starting pitchers. As a way to get to know new pitching coach Justin Willard, here are some notes and details on what he sees in Senga, Manaea, Peterson and Holmes: https://t.co/04f7hnmFb9

— Will Sammon (@WillSammon) February 16, 2026

The key to Manaea's dramatic turnaround in 2024 came after watching Atlanta's Chris Sale work, leading him to drop his arm slot in an attempt to mimic Sale's success. Manaea dropped his arm slot even further last season, which led to bad results, so Manaea used his time with Tread Athletics to get his arm slot back to where it was at the end of 2024.

Sean Manaea was also out there getting some live reps in! pic.twitter.com/8hh0lxXIq3

— Metsmerized Online (@Metsmerized) February 14, 2026

The Mets have a lot invested in Manaea, who still has two more years left on his three-year, $75 million contract from last winter. Even with deferred money included, a roughly $25 million salary for a swing man is quite expensive, so the Mets are surely hoping that they can get Manaea back to being a quality starter for them this season.

Sean Manaea's Other Significant Offseason Change

While the return of his late-2024 arm slot is drawing all of the headlines, another significant change that Willard is trying to bring for Manaea is the re-introduction of a changeup to his repertoire. 2025 saw Manaea rely on his fastball and sweeper roughly 94 percent of the time, making him essentially a two-pitch pitcher for most of the year.

Manaea has used a changeup in the past but has had trouble finding a feel for the pitch in recent years. The addition of the changeup, which Manaea told Sammon "feels great" now, could be helpful to provide a different look for hitters who may have been sitting on his fastball more often last season.

The addition of Freddy Peralta and emergence of Nolan McLean late last season has taken pressure off of Manaea to be the Mets' top starter, which could help him be more effective in 2026. Sammon indicated that Manaea is aiming to make 30 starts and record 200 strikeouts this season, which would make him quite a valuable member of the rotation if he can accomplish those goals.

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