NEW YORK — It may not be long before the New York Mets shift their focus from what can be salvaged this season to what has to be changed for next. When they do, performances like Sean Manaea’s on Saturday will feel more meaningful.In his first traditional start since the final game of last year’s regular season, Manaea pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits. He had not finished six innings in a start since Game 3 of the 2024 NLDS — the night the Mets took a series lead over the Philadelphia Phillies, the night before Francisco Lindor’s grand slam gave them the series win.That is to say, the last time he looked like this, he was leading a postseason rotation into the NLCS.“Huge,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Big picture, that’s the guy we need.”New York’s underperforming offense saddled Manaea with a hard-luck 3-1 loss Saturday to the Atlanta Braves. It’s that offense that has prevented the Mets from generating much momentum at any point this season, leaving them still eight games below water in mid-June. Even though Manaea’s pitching was postseason-worthy, the feeling at Citi Field was so very different Saturday compared to 2024; so much has happened since, and little of it good. That was especially true of Manaea.But whether your concern is getting back into 2026 or moving on to 2027, one of the best things that can happen down the stretch is getting more of the Manaea the Mets saw Saturday.Before Saturday, the left-hander had pitched in 29 games since the start of last season (just 12 of them starts), with a 5.38 ERA over that span. New York had won only 7 of those 29 games. That made sense: For the first six weeks of this season, he was little more than an albatross on the roster, relegated not just to the bullpen but essentially to mop-up duty. He entered a game the Mets led only once in the club’s first 45 games this season.