Veteran Sean Manaea, who toggled between a bullpen and starting role for the Giants last year, is poised to test free agency.
According to The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser and The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly, Manaea is declining his $12.5 million player option for 2024. The deadline for teams and players to decide on contract options is Monday, Nov. 6.
Manaea, 31, posted 4.44 ERA in 117.2 innings last year, going 7-6. The southpaw’s fastball registered the best velocity of his career and he finished the season strong, allowing 15 earned runs in 47 innings from August on (2.87 ERA).
Manaea could still return to the Giants and pitch for Bob Melvin, his former manager in Oakland, but he’ll likely have several suitors ready to guarantee him a rotation spot.
It’s also possible that the Giants extend the qualifying offer to Manaea, attaching a compensatory draft pick to him if he signs elsewhere. The risk there would be Manaea accepting, becoming a $20.3 million back-end starter.
Manaea and Ross Stripling signed twinning contracts with opt-out clauses after the first year last winter. Neither pitcher produced up to their abilities, but they’re now approaching their futures inversely. Stripling told KNBR.com that he’s picking up his player option, while Manaea is poised to depart.
Before full-fledged free agency begins Monday, the Giants have a deep starting rotation, but one without an ace to pair with Logan Webb.
Webb, Stripling, Kyle Harrison, Tristan Beck, Keaton Winn and Anthony DeSclafani appear to be penciled into the rotation at the moment, with Alex Cobb potentially starting the year on the 60-day injured list due to hip surgery (the Giants are expected to pick up his $10 million team option).
Losing Manaea would mean the Giants could go into 2024 with Harrison as the lone left-handed starting pitcher. Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Aaron Nola are the top two free agent starting pitchers on the open market, with likely National League Cy Young winner Blake Snell — a lefty — also available.
