The Mets’ starting rotation surely looks like a force to reckon with. Freddy Peralta, David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, and Kodai Senga are set to complete the rotation, but a major name is missed and that’s Sean Manaea. With the Mets’ rotation looking stuffed already, and unlikely that they would go with a six-man rotation, Manaea reportedly got into a relief role.

Expectedly, Manaea looks unimpressed with the decision, but the fans have set the record straight.

“I consider myself a starter. Not to be that is frustrating. But at the end of the day, I’m going to let my pitching do the work in whatever capacity that is and go from there,” Manaea said about his new role in the team.

Manaea is better known as a starter, having started 210 of his 243 career regular-season appearances. However, since signing a $75 million deal with the Mets in 2024, his stats went south. The Mets landed him after Manaea finished with a 4.44 ERA and 128 SOs with the Giants in 2023. He served the Mets right in 2024, going 12-6 with a 3.47 ERA. But it all fell apart in 2025 when he finished with a 5.64 ERA.

He hinted at a rebound this spring with a 3.72 ERA, but his fastballs remain a concern. In the three spring starts, Manaea averaged 88.6 mph, which is a flat 4.5 mph down from his last healthy spring in 2024.

In contrast, the competition stands pretty tall to Manaea. Peralta is coming off a 2.70 ERA in 2025. Although Peterson blew up a few games with a 4.22 ERA, his 55.6% groundball rate is what makes him fit in the rotation. McLean is coming with a 2.06 ERA, and Holmes allowed a 3.53 ERA. Lastly, Senga stands with a 3.02 ERA.

“And we were pretty honest with all of them at the beginning of camp: if everyone was healthy, we were going to have to make some tough decisions, and one of them was going to be pitching in that type of role,” Carlos Mendoza said. So, despite all six of his starters going well this spring, the Mets prefer to go with a five-man rotation, and Manaea seems to be the odd one out.

However, as Manaea seems not impressed with his relief role, fans are quick to remind him of last season. The fans still remember Yankees’ Marcus Stroman when he revolted after being removed from the starting rotation.

“I am a starter, I won’t pitch in the bullpen. I am a starter,” Stroman said last year when the Yankees demoted him to the bullpen. Just like the Mets, the Yankees went for a five-man rotation, leaving the sixth starter off the radar. Although Stroman protested, his 6.23 ERA in 2025 didn’t help his future, resulting in an early release last August.

Fans hope Manaea focuses on his numbers, rather than following the footsteps of Stroman.

Mets fans set the record straight for Sean Manaea

“Could somebody please remind Manaea how awful he was last year?” One fan asks. “Starters pitch in relief, relief pitchers start & closers don’t even always close nowadays. Get outs & help the team win, all that matters,” another added.

For Manaea, 2025 was a struggle. Apart from struggling at the mound, with a 5.64 ERA over 15 appearances, he started the season with an oblique strain, missing four months. Later, a loose body in his elbow further reduced his velocity to around 90 mph. So, as per the fans, it was awful last season for Manaea. Moreover, MLB is now more flexible when it comes to starters and closers.

There are several instances in recent times where we saw starters doing a closing role and vice versa. A notable example is Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who closed Game 7 of the 2025 World Series. So, fans wonder why Manaea can’t focus only on winning games for the Mets, rather than complaining about his role.

“Sounds like a mid-season trade coming down the tracks,” one fan projects. “Get out of there… as the others ran. Be appreciated elsewhere, even Yankees,” another added.

Fans are speculating a trade deadline shakeup involving Sean Manaea. The pitching depth of the Mets currently includes names like Jonah Tong, Tobias Myers, Christian Scott, and Jonathan Pintaro. So, they have the luxury to make some tough decisions. Mendoza already hinted at that. Once Tylor Megill and Justin Hagenman get back from their 60-day IL, competition would be higher for Manaea even in the bullpen.

“Pitch well, and everything will figure itself out,” one user concludes.

With such high competition in the team and Mendoza sitting with plenty of options, Manaea should race against time to pitch well. While he promised that his pitch will answer everything, we hope things get sorted, and he starts throwing fastballs like a bona fide starter.