MLB.com's Joe Trezza filled in on this edition of the Mets Beat newsletter.

When the Mets last faced Sean Manaea as a starting pitcher on April 20 this past season, they didn’t have much trouble, using a five-run fourth inning to hand the veteran lefty and the Giants a 9-4 defeat. When New York saw Manaea again later in the year, as a reliever, the results flipped. Then, it was the Mets who had trouble with Manaea, who logged a combined four innings of one-run ball on consecutive days (June 30-July 1) against New York. 

On their surface, results like these shouldn't mean much due to the small sample size. But the differences in these outings can be instructive now for the Mets, who agreed to a two-year deal with Manaea this weekend to supplement the back of their rotation. Why? Because Manaea was undergoing something of an evolution around that time, as he navigated a demotion to the bullpen following an ineffective early stretch of the season. 

The version of Manaea the Mets faced in April didn’t much resemble the Manaea that found success with the A’s from 2016-21, or even the one that struggled with San Diego in 2022. And he didn’t resemble the pitcher who finished strong this past September. Manaea had abandoned his sinker for a four-seam fastball and was throwing harder, but with uncharacteristically poor command. He was relying disproportionately on his slider, and it wasn’t working -- thanks in part to the Mets, Manaea lugged a 7.96 ERA into mid-May. 

Now they are betting the Manaea that pitches for them in 2024 doesn’t resemble that Manaea, and with good reason. 

That’s because Manaea became a different pitcher as the year wore on, revamping his pitch mix with a brand-new pitch -- a sweeper -- that helped turn his season around. With the help of that pitch, he turned in a respectable 3.78 ERA and an impressive 3.26 FIP over his final 81 innings of the season.

The sweeper was integral to that turnaround -- hitters slashed just .140/.161/.163 against the pitch as it racked up a 35.1% whiff percentage. By June, it became the second-most used pitch in Manaea’s arsenal, as he began using it in favor of his slider and changeup, particularly against left-handed batters.

Check out Manaea's monthly numbers from 2023:

Sweeper usage
• May: 4 percent
• June: 18.7 percent
• July: 17.4 percent
• August: 25 percent

ERA
• May: 3.93
• June: 5.17
• July: 4.91
• August: 3.15

And take note of Manaea's season splits:

First 11 appearances
• 32 2/3 innings
• 6.61 ERA
• 28.9% strikeout rate
• 12.5% walk rate
• 32.6% ground ball rate
• 8 homers

Final 26 appearances
• 85 innings
• 3.60 ERA
• 24.2% strikeout rate
• 6.6% walk rate
• 44% ground ball rate
• 6 homers

Manaea then put the sweeper back aside when he returned to the rotation for four September starts and he pitched well enough in those outings (2.25 ERA) to feel comfortable opting out of his contract to test the open market. The Mets, buying into the adjustments, rewarded him with a deal that is worth $28 million and includes an opt-out after next season, according to a source. The Mets clearly think the changes Manaea made last year are real, and that they signal good things to come.  

Will the Mets be a better defensive team this year than they were in 2023? The early signs point to yes, especially after the signing of 2021 National League Gold Glove winner Harrison Bader on Friday. Though his inconsistent bat probably makes Bader something just shy of an everyday player, he’s such an elite defender it’s a safe bet that he’ll play center field when he’s in the lineup, which should be a good amount. That means moving Brandon Nimmo at least occasionally over to left field, probably against left-handed pitching. And that is OK.

On the whole, it should benefit a Mets team that ranked 23rd in team defense and 21st in outfield defense last season, per the Statcast metric Outs Above Average. It could also benefit Nimmo, who turns 31 the day before Opening Day and registered his lowest OAA total (1, down from 6 in 2022) in three years last season. 

Overall, Mets center fielders registered -1 OAA last year; only Red Sox center fielders (-2) ranked lower in MLB. Bader is a generational-type defender. He’s had at least 7 OAA in center in each of the past three seasons, including 9 last year. His 59 OAA in center since the start of 2018 are the most in the Majors.

Jan. 9, 2005: Carlos Beltrán agrees to seven-year megadeal

Highlights of Beltrán taking strike three to end the 2006 NL Championship Series hardly tell the full story of his tenure with the Mets, and any retelling which focuses only on that pitch is reductive and unfair. In the end, the contract Beltrán agreed to 19 years ago on this day -- and finalized two days later -- was actually one of the most productive long-term deals in Major League history. He slashed .280/.369/.500 with 149 homers and 100 stolen bases with the Mets, earning four All-Star nods, three Gold Glove and two Silver Slugger awards in while Flushing. 

• For a more in-depth analysis of Manaea’s repertoire, don’t miss David Adler’s excellent breakdown, which includes a lot of sweeper talk. 

• It was a homecoming of sorts when the Mets hired John Gibbons to be their new bench coach last month. Gibbons opens up with national reporter Bill Ladson about his long association with the team. 

• Statcast unveiled a fun new pitching metric for the new year.

• Our crack MLB Pipeline team selected one prospect from each team that is poised for a breakout in 2024

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