The Blue Jays’ All-Star pitcher Alek Manoah once used to be a part of a golden trio alongside Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Bo Bichette. Manoah, who was once touted to be Toronto’s future ace, is now designated for assignment to make space on the team’s 40-man roster for the return of veteran slugger Anthony Santander. Manoah is the same guy who held a 2.60 ERA across 308 innings in 2021 and 2022. However, that impressive run has long been overshadowed by his one-sided public feud with the Yankees’ $324 million ace Gerrit Cole.

It goes back to 2022 when Manoah appeared on Serge Ibaka’s YouTube show “How Hungry Are You?” When asked to name the “worst cheater” in the history of baseball, Manoah answered, “Gerrit Cole.” Manoah added, “He used a lot of sticky stuff to make his pitches better…and he kind of got called out on it.” With that response, Manoah fueled online trolls that had made Yankees ace the face of a sticky-stuff scandal that the league had put to rest just a year earlier.

And now, in a twist no one could’ve predicted, he has a shot at landing in the Bronx next year. According to insider Joe Randazzo, the Yankees will likely invite him to the spring training camp next season.

It’s not a groundbreaking move because the Yankees also traded for Josh Donaldson, who said similar things about Cole. Still, the idea is intriguing. Manoah made that claim about Cole in 2022, and he doubled down on his statements the next year. “I said what I said.” He said this before a crucial series between the Yankees and Blue Jays in April 2023. That time, Manoah had an ugly 6.98 ERA. And now that he’s DFA’d, he hasn’t pitched for the Blue Jays since last year.

Now, at 27, he wasn’t supposed to hit free agency until 2028. He hasn’t played for Toronto this season as he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2024. Across four seasons, he has held a 29-20 record, a 3.34 earned-run average, and 412 strikeouts. Meanwhile, it’s not easy for the blue jays either to let him go.

Blue Jays GM felt guilty for making Alek Manoah move

The Toronto Blue Jays have been struggling to stack wins lately. From sitting comfortably atop the AL standings, they are now tied with the New York Yankees in their quest for an AL East title and the first-round bye that comes with it. With Toronto in desperate need of a veteran presence, they have decided to reinstate Anthony Santander as a starter, at the cost of Alek Manoah, who was DFA’d to make room for the slugger.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins expressed the intent behind the decision. “These are always tough decisions. This just came down to a roster crunch and us feeling like [this was] the best decision for us to hold depth and support this staff as we push forward into very important weeks.” He further admitted, “We chose others over him.” It was something that needed to be done in the best interest of the Blue Jays right now.

Moreover, Atkins wished Manoah the best, but he felt bad about the outcome. “Sorry, we’re at this point today,” he said while speaking with MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson. The Blue Jays’ only true flaw this season has been their starting rotation. And maybe now that Santander is back, things could change.