A promising pitcher might be acquired by the Angels thanks to the most recent Blue Jays trade….
After the Blue Jays and Yariel Rodriguez reached an agreement, Alek Manoah emerged as a compelling trade candidate.
Just now, the Toronto Blue Jays signed Yariel Rodriguez to a $32 million, four-year contract, making it their biggest offseason signing to date. Although there are still certain obstacles related to Rodriguez’s immigration status, the agreement is not yet official. Nevertheless, Rodriguez is anticipated to become a Blue Jay after everything is said and done.
The right-hander joins a Blue Jays pitching staff that is already deep. The starting lineup in Toronto is guaranteed to include Yusei
After the Blue Jays and Yariel Rodriguez reached an agreement, Alek Manoah emerged as a compelling trade candidate.
Just now
, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios, and Kevin Gausman. Alek Manoah and Rodriguez will likely compete for the fifth starting place. Angels supporters can only wish for a rotation like that.
A few years ago, it would have been absurd to think that Manoah would be fighting for a rotation position before the 2024 season. Manoah finished as the AL Cy Young winner in 2022, but his season last year was disastrous, and trade rumours were rampant over the winter. Although Toronto hasn’t dealt Manoah yet, the Jays might think about doing so after acquiring Rodriguez, a pitcher with prior starting experience. Should it be the case,
If Alek Manoah were available for trade, the Angels would be all over it.
It doesn’t hurt to inquire, but there’s no way of knowing if Manoah will be open to trade after the Rodriguez deal is finalised. While the previous season was a complete bust, the Cy Young upside has been demonstrated. The Angels have a chance to make a significant upside swing here if Toronto is serious about selling cheap.
In 2022, Manoah finished in the AL Cy Young finals with a 2.24 ERA in 31 starts and 196.2 innings pitched. He led a Blue Jays pitching staff that was good enough to qualify for the postseason. Manoah only made 19 starts and was sent to the minors twice in the previous season, but the potential is still very much present.
Manoah, who recently turned 26, would have four years of team control. The Angels will have their ace in the hole for the next five years, if he can turn things around. If not, he can’t really be that much worse than Tyler Anderson was the previous season, can he?
The Angels can always add prospect capital on top of one of the players the Blue Jays would want, like Luis Rengifo or Brandon Drury. This is a very logical upside play if they’re not ready to spend heavily in free agency. Probably wouldn’t give up the farm to acquire him, even if he doesn’t return to Cy Young form.
