Angels Reportedly Add Former All-Star Alek Manoah on $1.95M Deal
The Los Angeles Angels have reportedly reached a one-year, $1.95 million agreement with free-agent right-hander Alek Manoah, according to multiple reports Tuesday, with ESPN’s Jeff Passan first breaking the news on X.
Manoah, a former All-Star and once one of baseball’s top prospects, saw his trajectory stall in Toronto due to injuries and inconsistent performance over seven seasons in the Blue Jays system. For the Angels, he represents a low-risk gamble with a real chance to claim a rotation spot that slipped away from him last year.
Manoah, 27, owns a career 29–20 record and a 3.34 ERA across 75 MLB starts, all with Toronto. In 2025, he posted a 1–1 record and 2.97 ERA over seven Triple-A starts but never earned a call-up. The Braves later claimed him off waivers in September, though he never appeared in a game for Atlanta and was non-tendered after the season, making him a free agent.
Drafted 11th overall out of West Virginia in 2019, Manoah was ranked a Top 100 prospect by Baseball Prospectus in 2020. He became Toronto’s 2023 Opening Day starter after a stellar 2022 campaign (16–7, 2.24 ERA, All-Star selection). But 2023 proved difficult, as he struggled to a 3–9 record and 5.87 ERA in 19 starts while moving between the majors and minors.
In 2024, Manoah logged a 1–2 record with a 3.70 ERA across five starts before elbow surgery ended his season. He was still rehabbing in 2025 when Toronto removed him from the 40-man roster during their push for the AL East crown and eventual World Series appearance. Atlanta, battling rotation injuries, took a chance on him but chose not to keep him for 2026 after he earned $2.2 million in 2025.
The Angels now land Manoah at a reduced cost, addressing a rotation that still carries uncertainty. Despite acquiring Grayson Rodriguez from Baltimore for outfielder Taylor Ward, Los Angeles has lingering questions behind Yusei Kikuchi and Jose Soriano. Rodriguez missed all of 2025 recovering from elbow and lat injuries, Reid Detmers is attempting to transition back into a starting role, and young arms like Caden Dana, Sam Aldegheri, Jack Kochanowicz, and Mitch Farris have struggled and likely need more minor-league development.
If Manoah is fully healthy, he’ll have a strong opportunity to secure a rotation role ahead of the Angels’ less-established pitchers.
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