Mets demote their former ace pitcher to the bullpen

The New York Mets have selected the odd man out of their pitching staff for the 2026 season.

Mets manager Carlos Mendoza revealed to reporters on Saturday that veteran left-hander Sean Manaea will begin the year in the bullpen, per Jorge Castillo of ESPN. Mendoza added that the team’s five starters will be David Peterson, Nolan McLean, Clay Holmes, Kodai Senga, and newcomer Freddy Peralta.

Mendoza did also note though that Manaea is set to play a “piggyback” role for the team, meaning that he will be pitching multiple innings in relief of the day’s starter. You can read Castillo’s full report on the situation here.

Manaea, 34, was the ace of the Mets’ staff in 2024. He led the team with 12 wins and 184 strikeouts that year and even finished 11th in NL Cy Young Award voting.

But Manaea had a nightmare year in 2025. He missed significant time to start the season due to an oblique issue and then struggled to regain his form, going 2-4 with a 5.64 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP over 15 total appearances.

The Mets traded for the two-time MLB All-Star pitcher Peralta in January, and Peralta has a significant incentive to perform well this season. With the rest of the team’s rotation also getting healthy as well, Manaea has officially been voted off the island (and into the bullpen).