TORONTO – The decision to activate Anthony Santander on Tuesday was hardly surprising, but the corresponding move was far from expected.
Alek Manoah, the 27-year-old right-hander who finished third in 2022 AL Cy Young voting, was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays to create room on the 40-man roster while Ty France hit the injured list with an oblique injury.
Rival teams can now claim Manoah, who’d be able to elect free agency if he goes unclaimed. But regardless of whether he’s claimed, this move is worth examining closely because of what it says about Manoah and what it means for the Blue Jays.
“These are always tough decisions,” said GM Ross Atkins. “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.”
Manoah had been rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at triple-A Buffalo, where he had posted a 2.97 ERA in 33.1 innings spanning seven starts. During that time, he struck out 30 while walking 18 hitters and allowing six home runs.
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But while the results were respectable, there were indications the Blue Jays weren’t completely convinced he was ready to return the MLB level. They got MLB approval to extend his rehab stint three different times, and once that 60-day period ended, ,they optioned him instead of selecting his contract.
Mechanically, Manoah was still working on his delivery – a normal part of Tommy John rehab – but his velocity wasn’t yet back to where it was pre-surgery. In his last triple-A start, he averaged 90.5 m.p.h. while topping out at 92.3.
While there’s far more to pitching than just velocity, it’s worth noting that only three qualified right-handed pitchers averaged less than 92 m.p.h. this season: Kyle Hendricks, Chris Bassitt and Zack Littell. Within that context, anyone pitching with diminished velocity must execute off-speed pitches with more precision and maintain command deep into starts like Bassitt and Hendricks do.
So on Tuesday afternoon, when the Blue Jays needed a 40-man spot for Santander, they chose Manoah over other potential fringe 40-man players like Dillon Tate, Easton Lucas or Justin Bruihl. Evidently, there’s a belief that those pitchers are more likely to be called upon over the next six weeks as the Blue Jays begin their playoff push.
Longer-term, there will be ramifications on a couple fronts. First, the Blue Jays cut about $2.2 million in projected salary for 2026, when Manoah would have been arbitration eligible and due to receive a comparable salary to the one he earned this year. While that wasn’t a driving force behind the decision, it’s still a consequence of the move.
Secondly, the move does cut into the team’s pitching depth for 2026, by which point starters Max Scherzer, Chris Bassitt and Shane Bieber are also eligible to hit free agency. Manoah would have been optionable for 2026, creating potential flexibility for the team next spring.
“That adds to it for sure,” Atkins said. “He worked extremely hard. I’m really impressed by his dedication coming off Tommy John. Everything factors in, for sure.”
Evidently, the Blue Jays didn’t believe his stuff and delivery were at a point that they were motivated to roster him. As a result, they have one less rotation candidate for next spring, and will have to be that much more motivated as buyers for pitching over the winter.
“We’ve got to continue to develop it, and we’ve got some other guys that are returning from health that will be an important piece to that equation,” Atkins said, alluding to the likes of Ricky Tiedemann and Chad Dallas. “That made it a difficult decision.”
First comes a playoff run and while it’s technically possible that Manoah could clear waivers and accept an outright assignment to triple-A, there’s also a very real chance the 11th-overall pick in the 2019 draft won’t pitch for the Blue Jays again.
“We wish him the best,” Atkins said. “We’re really impressed by his commitment, his desire and his effort.”
