MLB Rumors: Blue Jays Won't Trade Alek Manoah Despite Interest, Will Be in Rotation

Despite his season-long struggles in 2023 that included getting demoted to the Florida Complex League, Alek Manoah isn't going to be traded by the Toronto Blue Jays.

Per MLB Network's Jon Morosi, the Blue Jays have rejected calls from other teams interested in trading for Manoah.

Morosi noted Manoah "has had a very good offseason of workouts" and is expected to be in Toronto's starting rotation this season.

It would be foolish for the Blue Jays to trade Manoah right now when his value is as low as it has ever been. He went 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 87.1 innings over 19 starts last season.

Things got so bad for Manoah that he was demoted to their rookie-level complex league team in June.

Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins said the decision was to give Manoah an opportunity to work out his mechanical issues and take a step back from the emotional grind of struggling against big-league hitters.

"It is so subtle and so small that patterns (are created)," Atkins said. "And if the wrong pattern starts to (emerge), making that adjustment while competing can become too difficult. So, I think getting him out of the most competitive environment in the world and allowing for him to create a new pattern, closer to the one he had in previous years, is what needs to occur."

Manoah was called back up to the MLB club on July 7. He made six starts before being optioned to Triple-A after an Aug. 10 loss to the Cleveland Guardians, but he refused to report to Buffalo and didn't pitch again in 2023.

The 26-year-old looked like he was on track to become one of the best pitchers in MLB prior to last season. He finished eighth in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021.

Manoah went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 196.2 innings during the 2022 campaign. He was third in AL Cy Young voting and named to his first All-Star team.

This season will be Manoah's final pre-arbitration year. The Blue Jays can see how he looks in spring training before making any final determination about his spot in their rotation.