What will the 2024 season hold for the New York Mets. After a disastrous 2023 season, the team has wasted no time reloading to remain competitive next year. Statements from ex-New York players traded last season, though, seem to contradict this. That's not stopping the Mets from acquiring talent this offseason, though.

The Mets already made some major moves by signing former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Harrison Bader. Now, Steve Cohen shifts his focus to the starting rotation. They signed former Oakland Athletics and San Francisco Giants starter Sean Manaea to a two-year, $28 million contract. The news was reported by Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

“The Mets agreed to a $28 million, two-year deal with free agent left-hander Sean Manaea early Sunday morning, The Post has learned. The deal includes a player opt-out after the 2024 season.”

There were a lot of expectations for the Mets last season. After acquiring Justin Verlander, the hope was that the team could finally get over the proverbial playoff hump. However, their season quickly went sideways, as they were unable to find any consistency. Eventually, the team held a fire sale of sorts, trading away Verlander and Max Scherzer to the Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, respectively.

These trades severely thinned out the Mets' starting rotation. Regardless of how competitive they want to be, adding a lefty in Manaea is badly needed. Their ace, Japanese sensation Kodai Senga, throws right, as well as their new acquisitions in Luis Severino and Adrian Houser.

Manaea had a rough start to his 2023 season, but he eventually found his footing in San Francisco last season. He finished the season with a 4.44 ERA, a considerable improvement to his awful 7+ ERA in April. In the final month of the season, Manaea had a 2.67 ERA in four starts and one outing from the bullpen. The Mets are hoping they'll get that version of the lefty in 2024.