Alek

Manoah

Manoah did walk a pair, but he didn’t allow a hit while keeping the D-backs from putting any runs on the board. Importantly, Manoah sat at 93.1 mph on his four-seam fastball. He was 94 mph during his breakout 2022, but his velocity fell under 93 mph during his brutal 2023 campaign. The 28-year-old is not all that long removed from being one of the better right-handed starters in baseball, but everything has gone wrong since 2022. Weirder things have happened, but fantasy managers should be taking a wait-and-see approach before considering Manoah in fantasy leagues.

That Detmers was returning to starting was clear, but it’s still interesting that he’s not even going to have to win a job this spring. Grayson Rodriguez, Alek Manoah, Jack Kochanowicz, Mitch Farris and Caden Dana are currently in the mix for the last two spots, with Rodriguez clearly in line to secure a place if he shows he’s healthy. Chase Silseth, who is out of options, is expected to be limited to relief work.

The deal is now official. The Angels are rolling the metaphorical dice on the former Cy Young Award contender after he was non-tendered last month by the Braves. The 27-year-old’s fastball velocity and control never rebounded in 10 minor-league starts during his return from Tommy John surgery this past season and the Blue Jays ultimately cut ties with him on the eve of the postseason. It’s difficult to envision a realistic path back to fantasy relevance in Los Angeles, but he’ll likely open the year in their rotation and qualifies as a low-risk lottery ticket. Maybe the velocity never comes back. Maybe the command never stabilizes. Maybe the Angels are just the latest team hoping the laws of baseball physics bend for one more improbable resurrection.

Los Angeles will roll the metaphorical dice on Manoah after the former Cy Young Award contender was non-tendered last month by the Braves. The 27-year-old righty sat in the low-90’s with his fastball and struggled in the minor leagues this past season in his return from Tommy John surgery. It’s challenging to forecast Manoah returning to fantasy-relevance with the Angels, but he’ll have an opportunity to make their Opening Day rotation with a strong performance in spring training.

There is obviously an extreme lack of optimism around the league about Manoah returning from Tommy John as a useful pitcher. He was due roughly $2.5 million in arbitration and then he still would have been under control for 2027, but the Braves still said no. That he averaged just 91 mph with his fastball during his rehab stint at the end of the year likely has a lot to do with it. As for Ragsdale, he was just claimed from the Orioles earlier this week, and he’ll surely have the chance to stick around on a minor league deal.

We doubt the Braves were the only team looking to take a chance on Manoah, but they had the best waiver priority of those that put in claims. The 27-year-old Manoah, who finished third in the AL Cy Young balloting in 2022, is working his way back from Tommy John surgery, and since his velocity hasn’t bounced back as hoped, the Jays thought they were OK moving on from him. Manoah, though, probably won’t make more than $2.5 million next season, he has an option year remaining and he’s under control for 2027. It’s entirely possible that he’ll never reemerge as a useful starter, but that’s quite a bit of upside for not much money. The Braves probably won’t add him to the major league roster this weekend.

It’s been a stunning few years for Manoah since finishing third in AL Cy Young Award balloting back in 2022. The 27-year-old former ace seemingly wasn’t going to be part of Toronto’s postseason plans after making it back all the way from last year’s Tommy John surgery so the club has decided to jettison him to create space for Anthony Santander to return from the injured list. He figures to pass through waivers unclaimed given his recent career turbulence, but it wouldn’t be surprising if another organization was willing to bring him in to take a look under the hood as a reclamation project.

The 27-year-old hurler has been pitching at Triple-A Buffalo already on the final leg of his minor league rehab assignment in his recovery from Tommy John surgery. There’s simply no room for him in the big league rotation at the moment. Manoah has compiled a 4.40 ERA, 1.67 WHIP and a 23/17 K/BB ratio over 28 2/3 innings through his eight minor league rehab starts. He’ll continue to refine his craft there for the time being, though it wouldn’t be surprising to see him get at least one start for the Jays before the regular season concludes.

The run came on a 443-foor homer from Spencer Jones. Manoah averaged 91.4 mph with his sinker, which is down two mph from where he was at the beginning of last season before requiring Tommy John surgery. The Jays are stretching him out for now, but it seems unlikely that he’ll be a factor as a starting pitcher in September.

Manoah walked three and struck out one, while throwing 27 of his 49 pitches for strikes. The 27-year-old sat just 91 mph on his four-seam fastball and wound up only throwing eight of them, which may suggest that he knew the pitch wasn’t there for him. With Shane Bieber (elbow) also returning from Tommy John surgery, the Blue Jays don’t need to rush Manoah back. The goal for him is to get through the end of this season healthy.