A's were reportedly after another New York Mets free agent

Jason Burke | Dec 6, 2024

Feb 19, 2024; Port St. Lucie, FL, USA; Detail photo of Mets helmet during workouts at spring training. Mandatory Credit: Jim Rassol-Imagn Images / Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Before the A's ended up signing Luis Severino to the richest deal in franchise history, they had also made a strong push for another New York Mets free agent, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Before agreeing to the Severino deal, the A’s made a big offer to Sean Manaea in hopes of bringing him back to his first MLB team

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 5, 2024

That's right, the A's wanted to bring back Sean Manaea after a successful season with the Mets. The terms that were offered by the Athletics were not disclosed by Heyman.

Manaea was originally acquired by the A's from the Kansas City Royals in the Ben Zobrist trade back in 2015, along with Aaron Brooks, who actually came back to the A's himself last winter and made a few appearances for the club during the 2024 campaign.

The left-hander made his MLB debut in 2016 and was a bit of a workhorse for the club through the 2021 campaign. In those six seasons, he held a cumulative 3.86 ERA, tossed a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox, and was one of the most popular players on the team.

The A's decided to trade him away following the '21 campaign in what ended up being a big offseason of transition for the franchise. Bob Melvin left to manage the San Diego Padres, then the A's traded Chris Bassitt, Matt Olson, and Matt Chapman. Manaea nearly made it to the regular season with the club, but was moved to San Diego on April 3, 2022 following the late start to the season after the owner's lockout.

The A's received minor leaguer Euribiel Angeles and righty Adrián Martínez in the deal. After his one year with the Padres, Manaea hit the free agent market and signed with San Francisco Giants, who used him as a combo starter and reliever.

He would hit the free agent market again the following winter, and ended up with the New York Mets on another one-year deal for 2024, but this time he turned in one of his best career seasons, posting a 3.47 ERA with a 3.83 FIP in New York, and pickup up a new arm angle that did a number on opposing hitters.

With Severino signing with the A's, it's unlikely that they'll also be in the Manaea market, given that he's projected for a three-year, $60 million deal by MLB Trade Rumors. Severino was projected for slightly less money, but ended up signing for $67 million. That would seemingly mean that the Athletics would have to overpay to land Manaea as well.

The A's have shown a willingness to hand out one big contract. Could lightning strike twice?