The Mets have been thrilled watching Luis Severino and Sean Manaea, both of whom were signed as essentially projects last offseason, develop into healthy and effective members at the front of their rotation.
It does not sound as if the team, though, is in a hurry to make decisions on the futures of their two most consistent starters.
Severino will be a free agent again at season’s end.
Manaea almost certainly will be, too, owning a player option for $13.5 million next season that he is expected to decline.
“We’re fortunate to have a lot of the guys come in and perform well. That’s what you want,” president of baseball operations David Stearns, speaking generally of the club’s free-agent haul, said before the Mets beat the Red Sox, 7-2, on Tuesday at Citi Field. “It means our evaluation is in a good spot, and it also means they’ve worked really hard to get themselves here.
“And what that means for the future, we’ll tackle in the offseason. I think right now we’re 100 percent focused on trying to prepare and come ready to play every single day.”
The 30-year-old Severino was brought in from the Yankees after a miserable walk-year, posting a 6.65 ERA in 2023 and struggling through injury.
The strong right-hander has made 27 starts thus far — his most since 2017 — and pitched to a solid 3.84 ERA.
“It’s a credit to him,” Stearns said. “When we signed him, we met with him. Immediately we talked about a medical plan and the strength and conditioning plan that we thought would benefit him. He combined that with what he was already doing [and] has worked exceptionally hard from Day 1.
“And the results have been a really good season where he’s pitched very effectively throughout, and he’s going to pitch a complete season.”
Manaea, meanwhile, has reinvented himself for a second straight season.
Last year, the lefty fell out of the Giants’ rotation, then discovered a sweeper and pitched well as a starter at the season’s close.
This year, Manaea lowered his arm slot a few months into the campaign and has authored his best year in his ninth major league season, owning a 3.35 ERA.
“This is someone who’s always been a real talent,” Stearns said. “He’s had very good seasons, and he’s had portions of seasons that have been really good. I think [the] No. 1 [priority] is consistency, and that’s something that Sean expressed to us in the offseason.
“And then having the open dialogue and back and forth — Sean likes to experiment a little bit. And he likes to try out new things.”
Severino and Manaea, who will make more money this offseason than last, have made strong arguments that the Mets should pursue them strongly again.
Or maybe the Mets end up opting for more short-term deals and believing their staff can uncover the next versions of Severino and Manaea.
“From a player-evaluation standpoint, we do the best we can,” Stearns said. “We’re not going to be perfect, but we identified certain players in the offseason that we thought were going to help the team. And to their credit, they’ve worked really hard and either met or exceeded our expectations.”
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Mark Vientos smacked a solo homer in the seventh inning, his 22nd of the year.
The third baseman owns a 14-game hitting streak at home in which he is 17-for-52 (.327) with six dingers.
Paul Blackburn (right hand contusion) allowed one run in 6 ¹/₃ innings in a rehab start with Triple-A Syracuse. The righty threw 75 pitches.
Stearns would be happy to make a decision on the role of Kodai Senga, who said Monday he could pitch out of relief in late September. In his recovery from a high-grade calf strain, Senga has built up enough to play catch off a mound.
“I think step one is: Let’s get him on a mound and to a place where we feel like he’s healthy enough to compete at the major league level,” Stearns said, “and then we’ll tackle the role — whether it’s bullpen, whether it’s starter, whether it’s a couple of innings at the front of the game.”
Stearns, who is the president of baseball operations for a club without a general manager, said he is not sure yet whether he will hire a GM.
“Going to tackle that one in the offseason,” Stearns said.
There are no plans at the moment for a follow-up MRI exam on Dedniel Nunez’s arm.
Nunez, who is not expected to throw during this homestand with right forearm tightness that has popped up for a second time, is working with trainers.
“We have to wait for the next few days and see how he responds,” manager Carlos Mendoza said of Nunez, who Mendoza says still has time to return this season.
