4 reasons to be positive about Alek Manoah's deal with Angels

So far this offseason, the Angels and Perry Minasian had seemingly be unable to do any wrong. The team had brought in a potential ace in Grayson Rodriguez and are reportedly in the process of ending the Anthony Rendon Era a season earlier than expected. This gives the team a much larger spending limit this offseason, and the team has been linked to some of the biggest names on the market.

Then, they signed Alek Manoah, the former Cy Young finalist for the Toronto Blue Jays. He has dealt with injuries since his All Star season and has largely underperformed any time he has been given a chance in the big leagues since. Then, Tommy John surgery in June of 2024 sidelined Manoah and put a question mark over his once promising career.

Now, he gets his chance in Anaheim. And while Manoah is by no means the ace the Angels and their fans desire, there are still reasons to like the one-year, $1.95 million deal.

4 reasons for optimism as Alek Manoah signs with Angels

The contract itself is cheap

This is the most obvious of Manoah’s positives to his signing with the Angels. Manoah is only being paid $1.95 million, a small chunk of change from the ever growing payroll of the Angels (thanks to the Anthony Rendon buyout). This is a major league contract, which is surprising given the past few years of Manoah’s career. Nonetheless, the financial obligation is not so significant that Manoah is practically promised a spot on the 26-man roster come Opening Day. If he comes into Spring Training and does not perform, the team can cut bait then and move on knowing they did not hamper their spending with Manoah’s contract. 

Manoah has minor league options

While he has spent time going up and down between the big leagues and Triple-A, Manoah still has some minor league options available to him. This allows the Angels flexibility in terms of his role in 2026. Maybe he is good, not great, in Spring Training and does not earn a spot in the starting rotation nor the bullpen. The team can option him to Triple-A to start the year rather than having to designate him for assignment. 

Resurgence in Triple-A

In coming back from Tommy John surgery last season, Manoah pitched in every level in the minor leagues. He had one disastrous start in Rookie Ball, an okay start in Single-A, a bad start in Double-A, and then found his stride in Triple-A. Manoah posted a 2.97 ERA in his seven starts, despite a pretty poor strikeout rate. He was able to find success nonetheless, maybe even showing something that the Angels’ coaching staff can work with. Speaking of which…

Mike Maddux is in Anaheim

Perhaps the absolute best addition to the Angels so far, Mike Maddux taking over as pitching coach gives a boost of optimism to any pitcher in the organization who gets to work with him. Maddux coached a rotation in Texas last season that was the best in the league, with starters ranging from rookies to journeymen to Cy Young winners. A reclamation project like Manoah is exactly what someone like Maddux is paid to guide, and if there is anyone in the league who can turn him back into a solid starter it’s Maddux.