Twins should take a chance on former Blue Jays All-Star pitcher Alek Manoah after DFA caps stunning downfall
The Twins should try to acquire former Cy Young finalist Alek Manoah, who was just designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays. Although the former All-Star has struggled over the past few seasons, Manoah is just 27 years old and was among the best pitchers in the league in 2022. The Blue Jays haven't been able to re-unlock that version of Manoah, but the Twins don't have much to lose by taking a chance on the former All-Star, especially when Minnesota's starting rotation could be losing some top-of-the-rotation arms to the trade market this upcoming winter.
Manoah immediately made an impact upon his MLB debut in 2021, posting a 3.22 ERA with a 27.7% strikeout rate and 8.7% walk rate over 111 2/3 innings in his first big-league season. Manoah took his game to the next level in 2022, making the American League All-Star team and posting a dominant 2.24 ERA with a 22.9% strikeout rate and 6.5% walk rate over 196.2 innings en route to finishing third in American League Cy Young voting.
It appeared that Manoah was on his way to being one of the best starting pitchers in the league, having already accumulated 5.9 fWAR before turning 25 years old. However, the former Cy Young finalist dealt with extreme regression in 2023, posting a 5.87 ERA with a 19.0% strikeout rate and 14.2% walk rate in 87.1 innings before pitching in just five MLB games in 2024. Since 2022, Manoah has spent a significant amount of time in the minor leagues due to his struggles and various injuries. In fact, Manoah hasn't pitched a single inning in the major leagues this season.
Manoah has had good results in his limited action this season, managing a 2.97 ERA in 33 1/3 innings for Triple-A Buffalo. However, his FIP with the Bisons this season was a less-than-ideal 5.93, suggesting Manoah's solid results this year have been a fluke. Still, Manoah's results this season were good at the end of the day, and he has been one of the best pitchers in all of baseball in the past. The Twins could work with Manoah and see if they can bring back the version of the pitcher that nearly won the Cy Young Award in 2022.