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12 hours ago
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The Toronto Blue Jays are looking to follow up their latest roster win with a return to the playoffs.
After failing to extend superstar slugger Vladimir Guerrero Jr. by his self-imposed spring training deadline, the Blue Jays’ front office inked him to a $500 million deal shortly afterward. Now, the team is looking for Guerrero to lead them to the postseason.
And while locking in the homegrown first baseman was big for the future of the franchise, their more immediate concerns could be focused on the pitching staff. While veterans Kevin Gausman, José Berríos and Chris Bassit have been solid, and Bowden Francis is a promising younger addition, the rotation is in need of a healthy reinforcement with Max Scherzer lingering on the injured list.
Thankfully, the Blue Jays now have new reason to hope that an impactful starter will join the staff this season, coupled with some joyful personal news for a long-time member of the team.
“Alek Manoah — whose wife, Marielena, gave birth to a boy about two weeks ago — is in Dunedin throwing bullpens regularly and advancing through his Tommy John rehab progression,” according to Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet. “He remains on track to return to (the) Blue Jays sometime in the second half of the season.”
Manoah underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024, cutting his campaign short after just five starts. In 2023, he made just 19 starts and posted a 5.87 ERA. But in 2022, he was one of the most effective pitchers in baseball, earning an All-Star nod, Cy Young Award votes and Most Valuable Player Award votes as he posted a 2.24 ERA with 180 strikeouts in 31 starts.
The promise he showed at his peak is reason enough to hope Manoah can make a healthy return to the Blue Jays in time to boost their chances of a deep postseason run.
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Peter Chawaga is a veteran journalist covering Major League Baseball for The Sporting News. His MLB reporting has included feature interviews with commissioner Rob Manfred and Hall of Fame slugger David Ortiz, salary analysis, player rankings and more. He has covered baseball for Forbes, Yardbarker, Pitcher List, Athlon and other outlets.
With over ten years of newsroom experience, he has previously covered finance, technology, arts, and culture for newspapers, magazines, and websites nationwide. He graduated from Wake Forest University with a degree in English and journalism.
English (US)