Los Angeles Angels release former Blue Jay Alek Manoah
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Jul 29, 2026, 19:04 EDTUpdated: Jul 29, 2026, 20:17 EDT
A former Toronto Blue Jays ace is headed to the open market.
On Wednesday, the Los Angeles Angels announced that they were unconditionally releasing right-hander Alek Manoah after the former first-round draft pick in 2019 displayed struggles at both the major league and minor league levels.
The Angels and Manoah agreed to a one-year, $1.95-million contract on December 2, 2025 after the 28-year-old elected free agency from the Atlanta Braves’ organization. After suffering a right middle finger contusion toward the end of spring training, Manoah opened the 2026 campaign on the injured list before being activated on May 6, just in time for the Angels’ series in Toronto.
Manoah worked out of the bullpen, throwing a scoreless frame against the Blue Jays before following that up with five more scoreless innings against the Cleveland Guardians on May 11. The outing that followed on May 16 against the Los Angeles Dodgers was a pure disaster, as Manoah turned in a pitching line of 1.1 IP, 6 H, 9 R, 8 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, and saw his earned run average balloon to 9.82 across 7.1 innings pitched.
The Angels optioned Manoah to Triple-A Salt Lake the following day, and the results that followed left much to be desired. Manoah pitched to an 11.88 ERA over five starts in the month of June, then went 0-4 with a 22.37 ERA and 3.34 WHIP over his four starts once the calendar flipped to July.
Manoah spent parts of four seasons with the Blue Jays, which were some of his best years. Manoah made 75 starts with the Blue Jays and went 29-20 with a 3.34 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP. During that time, Manoah threw 420 innings, struck out 412 batters, finished eighth in 2021 American League Rookie of the Year voting, and finished third in AL Cy Young voting during the 2022 season.
Now following these major struggles, Manoah heads to free agency with his value at his lowest as he tries to find the form he flashed during his first two seasons in the big leagues.
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