As the Los Angeles Angels look to reconstruct their roster, they took a chance on a relatively low-risk signing on Tuesday. As reported by Jeff Passan of ESPN, the Angels reportedly signed former All-Star pitcher Alek Manoah to a fully guaranteed one-year major league deal worth $1.95 million. Manoah was an unrestricted free agent after he was non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves.

The 27-year-old was seen as a potential Cy Young-caliber starter when he began his career with the Toronto Blue Jays. The righty went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA in 196.2 innings pitched in 2022 with 180 strikeouts to 51 walks. He finished third in the American League voting that year. However, he struggled after that stellar season and was demoted in 2023 to rookie league. He started to have shoulder issues in his 2024 campaign and only pitched 24.1 innings before undergoing season-ending Tommy John surgery in June. He did pitch a 3.70 ERA in his five starts that season.

Here is the full story from Angels Roundtable writer Nick Radosevich on Manoah’s career to this point and how he could fit in the starting rotation.

Angels Sign Former All-Star Pitcher To One-Year Major League Deal The Los Angeles Angels are taking a chance on a former All-Star starting pitcher.

For Los Angeles, it’s essentially a riskless one-year rental that bets on his potential to return to form prior to his injury. He only has played four years in the league, but an unhealthy Manoah struggled with his fastball velocity and control after the Tommy John surgery. There’s not an expectation that he’ll return to Cy Young form, but it’s fair to take a flier on him becoming a potential contributor in the starting rotation.

He now joins righty Jose Soriano and lefty Yusei Kikuchi in that rotation, as well as right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who the Angles traded for from the Baltimore Orioles in exchange for left fielder Taylor Ward. Manoah has shown the ability to dominate in the past, and he’ll look to fight through his adversity and get back to a second All-Star appearance in Los Angeles.