Angels Bet Big on Alek Manoah: Could This $1.95 Million Gamble Transform Their Season?

Alek Manoah is ready to turn the page and start fresh in Anaheim. Once a shining star on the mound for the Toronto Blue Jays, this young right-hander has inked a one-year, $1.95 million pact with the Los Angeles Angels, a move reported by MLB.com that’s sparking plenty of buzz. Both the team and Manoah are banking on a revival—a comeback story that could rewrite what’s been a rocky journey for a pitcher once hailed as an elite talent.

Let me break it down — three years ago, Manoah was lighting up the league, even snagging a finalist nod for the AL Cy Young Award thanks to a breakout 2022 season. At just 24, he seemed destined for stardom. But what happened next—well, it’s one of those strange tales in recent MLB lore. His ERA ballooned from a sleek 2.26 to a staggering 5.87 in 2023, making him a liability during a playoff push, eventually sending him vaulting down to the minors. Despite the whispers of injury, scans came back clean. Still, injections late in the season hinted at hidden battles beneath the surface.

Then came 2024 — five promising starts before a torn UCL landed him under the knife and on the sidelines until August. His 2025 never truly launched; he didn’t grace the majors and only posted a modest 2.97 ERA in seven Triple-A outings. The Blue Jays let him walk, and even the Braves, who scooped him up briefly, chose not to tender him. It’s a surprising turn of events that Manoah secured a major-league deal at all, but the Angels are evidently betting on the spark still inside him. If he can tap even a shadow of that 2022 magic? This signing could be an absolute steal.

This isn’t just a one-off move either. The Angels, coming off a pitching rotation ranked near the basement with a 4.91 ERA last season, are methodically revamping their staff. Recently, they acquired Grayson Rodriguez, another promising arm fighting back from major elbow surgery. Two starts to reboot a spitball staff desperate for some life—let’s see if Manoah can seize this moment and redefine his career path.

LEARN MORE

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, 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. 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 that an injury was limiting him, MRIs found no structural damage. However, Manoah did receive some injections at the end of the season.

He returned in 2024 and looked decent for five starts, until he tore his UCL and needed surgery. He didn’t pitch again until August of this year 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 managed to land a major-league deal, but the Angels apparently believe he can rebound. Anything approaching his 2022 form would make this contract a massive bargain, but that is a humongous “if.”

This is the second step the Angels have taken to reshape a rotation that ranked 28th in MLB last season with 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.