“For reasons that are unclear, including possible injury and a feud with the club…”
A key factor in the Canadian and American media’s low expectations for Hyun-Jin Ryu (36, free agent) to remain with the Toronto Blue Jays is the rebound of Alec Manoa (25). If Manoa bounces back next year, he’ll be the perfect fifth starter behind Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios, Chris Bassett and Yusei Kikuchi.
But as Manoa knows, Avery is not a sure thing. He has only three years of big league experience. In his second year, in 2022, he emerged as an ace, going 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 31 games. He even finished third in the American League Cy Young voting, boosting his stock.
But this year, he suffered through one of his worst outings of the year, turning into an up-and-down performer who would get hit by a pitch out of nowhere or give up a ton of walks due to poor command of his pitches. Toronto sent Manoa to the Florida Rookie League to essentially rebuild his season, but nothing changed after his return to the majors.
Eventually, Manoa was sent down to Triple-A when Hyun-jin Ryu returned from Tommy John surgery and rehabilitation. He didn’t play a single game in Triple-A and ended the season there. There were reports that he was physically and mentally exhausted and was in no condition to pitch.
In 19 games, he went 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA. No one saw it coming. MLB TradeRumors even suggested Manoa could be traded on Friday. “He’s ostensibly a fifth starter for 2024, but he’s become an X-factor after an uncharacteristic 2023 season. He hasn’t pitched since Aug. 11 for reasons that are unclear, including possible injury and a feud with the club.” Manoa had a falling out with the team.
MLB Trader’s says, “It’s anyone’s guess as to how Manoa will pitch next season, or if he will pitch at all. If there are some issues that make things worse, Toronto may prefer to part ways with Manoa via trade.”
He sees a 2022 Cy Young race as Manoa’s remaining weapon. “Obviously, Mano’s trade value is low right now, but as a 2022 Cy Young candidate, some teams will be interested in exploring whether a change of scenery could revitalize his career,” MLB Traderumors said.메이저놀이터
Toronto needs to time the major league call-up of top left-handed prospect Ricky Tiedemann. It wouldn’t hurt to get rid of Manoa and get something in return. According to MLB Trade Rumors, no other player on Toronto’s roster is as attractive as Manoa as a trade chip at this point.