Just a few months after the Blue Jays designated Alek Manoah for assignment, the former All-Star is back in the American League. The Los Angeles Angels have agreed to sign Manoah, giving the 27-year-old righty a shot at redemption after a difficult 2025 campaign.

A Look at Manoah

The 2025 campaign was a difficult one for Alek Manoah, who started the year on the IL. Manoah, after experiencing elbow problems in 2024, ultimately needed UCL reconstruction and delayed his season start.

When Manoah returned, it was a mixed bag. As we noted in September, Manoah’s velocity was down in Triple-A Buffalo. His average velocity sat in the 91-92 MPH range after sitting above 93 MPH in his first outing with the Bisons. He wound up posting a 2.97 ERA in seven outings but got himself in a lot of trouble at times, as Manoah walked 18 over 33.1 IP.

Amidst a roster crunch, Manoah was demoted in September once his rehab assignment was up. Ultimately, Toronto DFA’d Manoah shortly thereafter.

The Braves claimed him in September but did not retain him. Atlanta non-tendered Manoah in November, allowing him to hit free agency.

It concluded a rocky stint with the Blue Jays, highlighted by an All-Star appearance in 2022. That season, Manoah was a rock for the Jays, as he tossed 196 innings, won 16 games, limited well-hit contact, and posted a sub-3.00 ERA.

From that point onward, Manoah struggled with pitch effectiveness, as the velocity was down in 2023, and he got hit hard. He had well-documented struggles to maintain his conditioning. The Blue Jays demoted him to rookie ball that year to try to get back on track.

The velocity returned in 2024. However, he also gave up a lot of well-hit contact, despite the sub-4.00 ERA. Manoah gave up five home runs over 24.1 IP two years ago before he underwent surgery.

Manoah’s pitch mix has stayed the same since he first made his MLB debut. The right-hander, now 27 years of age, throws a four-seam fastball with cut and carrying action. He’ll work high and low between the two-seam and four-seamer, the former of which was a good saw-off option to run in on right-handers.