Alek Manoah

[specialiststeve]

Quote

The Toronto Blue Jays are willing to listen to offers for right-hander Alek Manoah this offseason. 

The Toronto Blue Jays are willing to listen to offers for right-hander Alek Manoah this offseason. The 25-year-old broke out with a sterling 2.24 ERA in the 2022 season and finished third in Cy Young voting but endured a disastrous 2023 campaign. Not only did he post a 5.87 ERA across 19 outings but he was also demoted to the club's spring training facility following early-season struggles and refused to report to Triple-A Buffalo later in the year after a brief, and unsuccessful, return to the big leagues. While his trade value has certainly taken a hit after a rollercoaster season both on and off the field in 2023, Manoah could still fetch a solid return considering his 2022 campaign but also the fact he is controlled through the 2027 season and has two minor-league options remaining.--Brenton Kemp - RotoBaller

 Source: Ken Rosenthal -- The Athletic

 

Hmm... Seems That his arm might be worth a flyer. Not sure if his head is on straight but he was FILTHY 2 years ago. Maybe send Miranda and good Minor league pitcher that way? Not sure what they would want but.... Maybe even Polanco as they are thin at 2B right now...  Win/Win? 

[Twodogs]

Sounds like David Ortiz.  Got sent all the way to the spring training facility???  I mean definitely sounds like a head case.  I'd take him for little or nothing, that way if he is completely toast you're not out anything.  I would not trade anything good for him at this point in time.  

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

This seems like the kind of trade that Falvey would work, but also seems quite risky.  How does an outsider know what's between this kid's ears.  It's one thing evaluating physical talent and even drive, ambition, etc., but we definitely do not need a cancer in the clubhouse.

For those reasons, I would try for a lowball offer to see if they bite.  Worst case, they say no or he fizzles out at AAA.

[AlwaysinModeration]

I wrote this in another forum, so reposting in this Manoah thread:

…

Manoah’s fastball and slider are both down 1mph this past season.  His walk rate skyrocketed last year, and Ks were down.  Maybe he regressed, but maybe  he was playing injured.  

He seems like exactly the sort of multi-year, buy-low trade candidate the Twins might go after. (They usually target trades for guys with more than one year of control.) He’s got four years of control left, so even if he didn’t bounce back right away, he’d have time.

A think a reasonable trade would have to start with either Kepler or Polanco.  Then then throw in a decent pitching prospect, like Raya, Prielipp, or Canterino.  

Baseball Trade Values, for what it’s worth, bears this out.

Manoah:  14.4

Kepler:  8.9

Raya: 6.9

Prielipp:  5.7

Canterino:  5.2

Also…Winder 4.9, Varland 4.9, Polanco: 4.5.  

Kepler / Prielipp sounds fair, or if they are in win now, maybe Winder or Varland instead of Prielipp?

[jorgenswest]

14 hours ago, AlwaysinModeration said:

Also…Winder 4.9, Varland 4.9, Polanco: 4.5.

Must have been a recent update. I see Polanco at 8.3.

[CRF]

I don't know what was going on with him last season...he was brutal, but if the trade price was right, I'd sure give him a shot. 

[nicksaviking]

For a pitcher I'm pretty weary of vaguely announced shoulder injuries.

I'd be interested, and no players listed so far would discourage me from trading for him. But I'd also want another pitcher that is more likely to settle into the #2 spot of the rotation.

[Doctor Gast]

Manoah is very intriquing. I hope that he's fixable that getting away from the shadow of NYY & big media to a friendly MN would do it. And TOR could be motivated, But I'm scared that like J Lopez it might not work. Like Yogi said baseball is 90% mental, the other half is talent.

[AlwaysinModeration]

6 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

Must have been a recent update. I see Polanco at 8.3.

Yes, I see that now too.  I’d include either Kepler or Polanco plus a young arm for Manoah.  I think he easily has #2 upside.

[tony&rodney]

We know that Jorge Polanco and Max Kepler are good and in demand and true professional guys. Their past performances and friendly contracts make them in demand from many teams. The variables are their injuries, risk of future performance, and proximity to free agency. Some don't believe in these two Twins but I'm thinking the industry does.

What do we know about Alek Manoah? In 2022, Manoah was really good. Then last year ...... he blew up. The Blue Jays tried pretty much everything and eventually sent him back to rookie ball where he imploded. Nobody seems to know what happened. The only report is that there was friction between Manoah and management. 

I have no idea based on looking over his stats and reading a half dozen articles whether Manoah is toast or just took a year off. I'll bet that nobody who has a chance of making a contribution to the Twins in 2024 will be sent to Toronto for him.

The Sonny Gray trade was wonderful for the Twins. Remember that the Reds were getting rid of salaries and also felt that Gray was on the downside of his career. Gray had just had a 4.19 ERA in 2021 after a 3.70 ERA in 2020, which was preceded by a 2.70 ERA in 2019. Gray's salary was rising and the Reds were willing to trade Sonny for a hotshot prospect. This was a situation where the Twins managed to get in at the right time. 

So maybe a guy like Nick Gordon but a trade for Manoah would surprise me, even though this is a chance that could be a big plus. One thing is that Falvey and others have some notion of how Manoah fits in the clubhouse.

[FilthyMogwai]

Inflammation and soreness in his throwing arm and an inability to command his pitches when he did pitch means I'd steer clear.

 

[terrydactyls]

On 11/20/2023 at 10:17 PM, AlwaysinModeration said:

Also, Winder 4.9, Varland 4.9, Polanco: 4.5.  

Winder and Varland have the same value in a trade?  I would not trust that site.

Also, isn't Alek Manoah the guy who starts in all the Aquaman movies?