Mets insider believes "3 years, $60,000,000" deal is reasonable for Sean Manaea, drawing parallels to Chris Bassitt's Blue Jays' deal

The New York Mets were eliminated from the postseason after a 4-2 defeat against the eventual World Series winner the Los Angeles Dodgers in the National League championship series.

The Mets, who had a disastrous start to the regular season, qualified for the wild card series and emerged as one of the dark horses after getting the better of the Philadelphia Phillies in the division series.

One of the players who shone in the postseason for the New York franchise was veteran pitcher Sean Manaea. However, the 32-year-old turned down a $13.5 million option for 2025 with the Mets to opt for free agency on Saturday for a third consecutive season.

Although Manaea was arguably the Mets' best pitcher after tweaking his pitching midseason, insider and podcaster Joe DeMayo isn't too keen on the idea of offering the veteran pitcher a long-term deal.

"I lean towards wanting to keep him but it's a slight lean," DeMayo said (1:20) on 'The Mets Pod.' "Contractual terms matter here. If he's going to find four years in the market, I'm going to wish him well. But if I can keep them in the Chris Bassitt range, three years, $60 million, somewhere around there, I think you could talk me into doing that contract."

Chris Bassitt, a former Mets pitcher, had a similar route to Manaea after he opted out of his contract in November 2022 for free agency. He was signed by the Toronto Blue Jays in free agency for a reported three-year, $63 million contract in 2023.

Sean Manaea did not rule out a return to Mets for 2025 season

The Mets made a remarkable turnaround to make it to the postseason this year but will need to go back to the drawing board after Sean Manaea along with veteran pitcher Luis Severino opted for free agency.

Reports suggest that the Mets will offer a $21.05 million qualifying offer to the 32-year-old for a year. The ace had hinted at the idea of donning the Mets jersey in 2025 after the team's postseason exit last month.

“But I’ve loved my time here. I love New York, the organization and all the people here, so I’d definitely love to be back,” Manaea said.

If Sean Manaea doesn't return to the Mets rotation for next season, Mets owner Steve Cohen might turn to other top-rated free agents like Blake Snell or Corbin Burnes in the offseason.