Alek Manoah's second act will be in Anaheim.
The former Toronto Blue Jays starting pitcher has agreed to a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Los Angeles Angels, according to MLB.com. Both sides will be hoping for a total turn-around for a once-solid pitcher.
Rewind three years ago and Manoah was a finalist for the AL Cy Young Award after a breakout 2022 season, his second with Toronto. At only 24 years old, he seemed to be an ace in the making. And then he suffered one of the most bizarre losses of form in recent MLB history.
In 2023, Manoah went from a 2.26 ERA to a 5.87 mark, becoming unplayable for a team in a playoff race and receiving a demotion to the minors. Despite speculation an injury was limiting him, MRIs found no structural damage anywhere. However, he did receive some injections at the end of the season.
Manoah returned in 2024 and looked decent for five starts, until he tore his UCL and needed surgery. He didn't pitch again until this August and never reached the majors in 2025. He did post a 2.97 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Buffalo, but that wasn't enough to prevent the Blue Jays from waiving him. The Atlanta Braves picked him up off waivers, but non-tendered him last month.
It's something of a surprise that Manoah even managed to land a major-league deal, but the Angels apparently believe Manoah can rebound. Anything approaching his 2022 form would make this contract a massive bargain, but that is a humongous "if."
This is also the second step the Angels have taken to reshape a rotation that ranked 28th in MLB last season withy a 4.91 ERA. Last month, they picked up Grayson Rodriguez, another once-promising starter making his way back from major elbow surgery, in a trade with the Baltimore Orioles.