Cubs Free Agent Target: Sean Manaea |
The 2025 Free agent class is not only loaded with talent for the second straight offseason, but this season, it will be the pitching front that dominates the Winter.
From Corbin Burnes, Roki Sasaki, and Max Fried as the Tier 1 starters to Walker Buehler, Jack Flaherty, and several other Tier-2 starters, the talent pool for pitchers this Winter could be at an all-time high. That could be good news for the Cubs, who have not only indicated that they want to add another starter, but with Kyle Hendricks signing with the Angels, it's almost a given that they will add a starter. While some reports out there have said the Cubs are in on Sasaki, you have to think the Dodgers are the favorites to get him knowing they have the most International Money to spend. Adding a guy like Burnes or even Fried to their rotation would be huge, but does anyone think the Cubs will go out and spend that kind of money on anyone, let alone a pitcher? If recent trends remain true again, the Cubs will go after a starter, but more likely a tier 2 starter, similar to the Jameson Taillon deal three years ago. That offseason, the Cubs landed Taillon on a four-year $68 million-dollar deal, as he earned his $17 million last season. You can look at the Shota Imanaga deal from last season as another Tier-2 type of deal, where he is on this roster for four seasons, but for a much cheaper price point than expected. Unless the Cubs trade for another starter, any starting pitching addition is going to come at a creative price point, as Jed Hoyer has some major thinking to do. That is where a guy like Sean Manaea comes into play. The left-hander is coming off one of his best seasons and could be had at a reasonable price. Adding Manaea to the middle of the Cubs' rotation would be an instant upgrade from Hendricks, but do the Cubs really want to enter the season with three lefties, let alone four if Jordan Wicks takes over the No. 5 spot to open the season? It would be an interesting route to take, but when you look at his season, he may be worth a three—or four-year deal in the 18-20 million range. Originally a first-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2013, Manaea never pitched a game for the Royals and was ultimately traded to Oakland in 2015 as part of the Ben Zobrist deal that season, which helped the Royals win the World Series. Once he finally had his opportunity with the A's, Manaea started to show the potential that made him a first round pick, but did deal with plenty of injuries which haulted his overall progress. Still, Manaea has not only been a reliable starter when it comes to eating innings, but with a 77-62 career record across 228 games, he has proven to be able to win games. His 4.00 ERA is a bit higher than you would like, but for a middle-to-back-of-the-rotation guy, you can live with it as long as he consistently gives you innings, which he does. This past season was one of the best seasons of Manaea's career, and it came in a contract year, which will help him get paid. Across his career-high 32 starts, Manaea posted a strong 3.47 ERA in a career-high 181 innings. He walked 63 and struck out a career-best 184 as this was a season of career-best. Not only that, but Manaea won a career-best 12 games for the third time while losing just six times, which was the lowest total of his career. While those numbers are great, his second half of the season stood out as Manaea posted a 2.67 ERA after the all-star break and emerged as the Ace of the Mets staff down the stretch. Then came the postseason, where Manaea continued to impress before running out of gas in the NLCS. Still, his body of work this season can't be overlooked, as he would be a great addition to this rotation. Looking at his repertoire, Manaea doesn't fit what the Cubs are looking for in terms of velocity, as he sits consistently around 93 MPH but can get his heater up to 95. He pairs that with a wipeout slider and a solid change, as he can throw all three pitches at any point in the count. He is one of the many tier-2 starters the Cubs will look at, but when all is said and done, he makes the most sense for what the Cubs are looking to do.
