Sean Manaea ‘definitely would love’ to be back pitching with Mets next season

When the Mets signed Sean Manaea this offseason, the hope was that he’d bring some stability to the backend of their rotation — but they ended up receiving so much more from the big left-hander.

With some help from a midseason mechanical adjustment inspired by watching Braves Cy Young candidate Chris Sale from the top step of the Citi Field dugout, Manaea turned himself into the ace of New York’s staff.

He became one of the most dominant and consistent starting pitchers in the league, staying healthy and working deep into games down the stretch for the first time in his big-league career.

Manaea was one of the biggest catalysts behind the Mets’ deep playoff push as he pitched to a stellar 3.47 ERA and 1.08 WHIP while striking out 184 batters and working a career-high 181.2 innings.

But unfortunately that incredible run came to an end with him on the mound on Sunday night as he ultimately ran out of steam, allowing five runs across just two innings of work in an NLCS Game 6 loss to the Dodgers.

Though he certainly wasn’t happy with the final outcome, Manaea took some time postgame to reflect on the roller coaster of a journey this team took to get here.

“I’m proud of everything we’ve accomplished and everyone here,” he said. “It’s meant everything to me. Definitely the best year of my career both on and off the field, I’m really just super proud of this year as a whole.”

After the spectacular breakout season he was able to put together, Manaea almost certainly will be opting out of the two-year pact he signed with the club this offseason, allowing him to hit the open market again.

And with the substantial contracts that have been handed out in the pitching market over the past few seasons, the 32-year-old has set himself up nicely for a very big payday.

While he hasn’t thought too much about the future just yet, and there will certainly be plenty of teams interested in him, Manaea certainly sounds open to the idea of returning to the Big Apple next season and beyond.

“I have no control over that right now and I’m not really thinking about it,” he said. “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.”