The Blue Jays needed a roster spot in order to bring back Anthony Santander from the injured list, so they elected to move on from former pillar Alek Manoah. Here's what general manager Ross Adkins had to say about the move.
On Tuesday, the Toronto Blue Jays elected to reinstate slugger Anthony Santander from the injured list. Signed to a five-year deal this past offseason, Santander hadn't played since May because of a left shoulder issue.
While his role in the upcoming postseason is unclear, he represents offensive upside for the organization, which is looking to win its first World Series title since 1993. He hit 44 home runs for the Baltimore Orioles a season ago.
In order to make room for Santander, the team moved on from right-hander Alek Manoah, who was drafted and developed by the organization. A former All-Star, Manoah was a Cy Young finalist in 2022, but injuries and ineffectiveness have knocked his star down since then.
After the move was made official, GM Ross Adkins had this to stay, via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.
"These are always tough decisions. This just came down to a roster crunch, and us feeling like the best decision for us to hold depth and support for this staff as we push forward in very important weeks, we chose others over him obviously."
Given his age (27) and prior production, Manoah should have opportunities in free agency, but there is still a chance that the Blue Jays could bring him back in the offseason, likely on a minor league pact.
Through parts of four seasons, Manoah is 29-20 with a 3.34 ERA. He went 16-7 with a dominant 2.24 in 2022 as the Jays made the playoffs. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2024 and came back this season, but never pitched in the big leagues. He did make 10 total appearances in the minor leagues, even registering a 2.97 ERA in 33.1 innings at Triple-A.
For now, the Jays will move on without him as they chase their first American League title since 2015. They are 90-67 and will take on the Boston Red Sox on Wednesday night at 7:07 p.m. ET. Max Scherzer will battle with Garrett Crochet.
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