"Small market move" "The misery never ends" - Mets fans in despair as Sean Manaea is revealed to be team's latest addition to rotation

The New York Mets have agreed terms with free agent pitcher Sean Manaea, who joins after a year with the San Francisco Giants. The 31-year-old will reportedly join the Mets on a two-year deal worth $28 million, as per Jon Heyman.

This comes after the Mets missed out on some big-name players this winter, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto joining the Los Angeles Dodgers a particular disappointment. While NY went after Yamamoto, the Japanese ace wanted to play with Shohei Ohtani and thus followed him to LA.

With options starting to run out in free agency, the Mets signed Sean Manaea, who will certainly add a little extra to their roster in 2024.

Upon seeing the news that the Mets had agreed to a deal with Sean Manaea, fans took to X to share their thoughts, with most being pessimistic, bordering on distraught. One user summed up the mood of many:

"Small market move by a small market team"

A long-time fan was quick to add:

"I’m in my seventh decade of rooting for this team. The misery never ends."

More reactions followed, with the vast majority being disappointed by the team's activities this winter:

Some, however, were more realistic about the signing, seeing the bigger picture and recognizing Manaea's ability:

Sean Manaea could be a pleasant surprise for Mets fans in 2024

While the announcement of Sean Manaea's imminent signature was received badly by New York Mets fans, in time they may have a change of heart. The main reason this was met with such disappointment was that there were some huge names available this winter and the Mets didn't manage to land any of them.

While they were not in on Shohei Ohtani, the team made Yoshinobu Yamamoto their number-one priority. When Ohtani signed his $700 million deal with the Dodgers, Yamamoto followed on a $325 million contract.

The Dodgers also traded for and extended Tyler Glasnow, via the Tampa Bay Rays and the New York Yankees landed Juan Soto in a seven-player deal with the San Diego Padres.

In the meantime, the Mets have not made any huge waves and after finishing fourth in the NL West with a 75-87 record, fans do not feel 2024 offers much to look forward to.

None of this, however, is Sean Manaea's fault. While injuries derailed his career somewhat since he entered the MLB as a highly-touted talent, Manaea is a very talented pitcher.

CBS Sports' Mike Axisa believes Manaea could be one of the best "under-the-radar signings" of this winter, due to adding velocity to his fastball and a new sweeper-style slider. This, he noted, saw Manaea's ERA drop from 5.49 to 3.43 in the second half of the season and set a career-best 36.4% hard-hit rate allowed.

With that in mind, the Mets may have found themselves a hidden gem this winter, and it will be interesting to see if fans warm to their new pitcher.