Left handed starting pitcher Sean Manaea is being dealt to the San Diego Padres, per Mark Feinsand. Minor league relief pitcher Aaron Holiday will be heading there as well. In return, the Oakland Athletics are receiving minor leaguers Euribiel Angeles and Adrian Martinez. Manaea will become a free agent after this season, and is owed $9.75 million. Manaea holds the distinction of hurling the 15th no-hitter in Athletics history. While he’s never made an All-Star appearance, he is a reliable pitcher who can eat innings when needed. Last season, he pitched to the tune of a 3.91 ERA and a 104 ERA+. He also posted his highest strikeout percentage since 2019, fanning 25.7% of opposing hitters (194 K).
The Career of Sean Manaea
The Kansas City Royals drafted Sean Manaea with the 34th overall pick in the 2013 Draft. He made his 2014 debut for the Single-A Advanced Wilmington Blue Rocks. His ERA of 3.11 and K/9 rate of 10.8 were very impressive. However, in the Royals’ quest for the 2015 World Series championship, they needed a new bat. Oakland, ranked as having the third-worst farm system pre-2015 by Baseball Prospectus, needed minor league help. So, the two teams swung a deal sending Ben Zobrist to the eventual champions and bringing back a package including Manaea. Once in Oakland’s system, Manaea shone, posting sub-2.50 ERAs and making the big leagues by 2016.
Over his career, Sean Manaea has proven himself to be somewhat valuable. His best year was most likely 2018. The aforementioned no-no aside, Manaea went 12-9 with a 3.59 ERA and a 116 ERA+. Unfortunately, Manaea missed a good chunk of 2019 after having shoulder surgery in the offseason. Ever since returning, he hasn’t quite been the same, though 2021 did go fairly well. All in all, the Padres have a new southpaw that adds a lot of depth to their rotation and the potential for explosive mound success.
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Players mentioned:
Sean Manaea, Aaron Holiday, Euribiel Angeles, Adrian Martinez, Ben Zobrist
