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EspañolAlthough Alek Manoah was designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays in September of last season, the right-hander was on his former teammates’ side as they chased a World Series title.
Now with the Los Angeles Angels, Manoah is focused on returning to the form that saw him earn an all-star nod in 2022 and finish third in Cy Young voting. But as he turns the page to his next chapter, he discussed the journey he’s been on since his sharp fall off with The Athletic‘s Sam Blum — a conversation that included a look at his place in Toronto’s deep October run, from which he watched almost every game.
“Those are all my friends,” he said. “A lot of those guys I called my brothers. I rooted for them 100 per cent. I wanted them to win it all.”
Manoah, of course, was projected to front Toronto’s rotation for years to come after his rookie campaign and subsequent dominant season. So, missing out on the Blue Jays’ post-season success clearly wasn’t easy.
“I was a very big piece of that process, getting to that World Series run,” Manoah told Blum. “I wasn’t able to be there like I wanted to.”
Instead, the now 28-year-old was taken off the Blue Jays’ 40-man roster to make room for Anthony Santander’s return in late September and was claimed off waivers by the Atlanta Braves.
Manoah had previously spent much of the 2025 season in the minor-leagues, rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and working to return to the majors. His last seven starts of the season came at triple-A Buffalo, where he pitched to a 2.97 ERA and 30 strikeouts over 33.1 innings.
He ultimately didn’t pitch for Atlanta, which non-tendered him in November, making him a free agent.
Manoah then inked a one-year, $1.95 million contract with the Angels, where he hopes for a clean bill of health and to claim a rotation spot.
“At the end of the day, it’s just baseball, right?” Manoah said. “I’ve been through a lot of tougher s— in life besides baseball.
“Just keeping that perspective and understanding that, at the end of the day, struggling in baseball is a first-world problem. Trusting that every door that closes is closing for a reason. Every door that’s opening is ready to blossom.”
Manoah made his spring training debut for the Angels on Sunday, working two scoreless innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
He averaged 93.1 m.p.h. on his fastball and 91.9 m.p.h on his sinker, allowing just two batters to reach base — both via a walk.
The early results and velocity readings aren’t all that important to Manoah, though. After three seasons of battling ineffectiveness and injury, he’s learned to stick to his work on his long path back to an MLB mound.
“I look up, and it’s been two years since I’ve been in a big-league game,” Manoah said. “It doesn’t really hit me hard. I stay to the routine, I stay to the work every day.”
