Alek Manoah's 2024 performance provided hope, so 2025 could be his last shot on the Blue Jays

One of the more interesting stories for the Blue Jays in recent years has been right-handed pitcher Alek Manoah. Stretching between 2022 and 2023, he has went from ace caliber, all the way to one of the worst pitchers in baseball.

In 2022, Manoah was one of the best in baseball, delivering an earned run average of 2.24 with a WHIP of 0.99 across 196.2 innings. Then in 2023, he imploded and was eventually sent to the Florida Complex League after posting an earned run average of 5.87 and a WHIP of 1.74 through 87.1 innings.

He was set to rebound in 2024, but that was delayed due to a trip onto the injured list. He returned to Toronto in May, but after five starts, he landed back on the injured list and that ended his season. He had to get surgery on his Ulnar Collateral Ligament, which will delay his start to the 2025 season as well.

Alek Manoah's glimpse of a rebound in 2024 provided hope

In his 24.1 innings of work from 2024, Manoah posted an earned run average of 3.70 with a FIP of 5.18 and 26 strikeouts. Opponents batted .187 against him and he walk hitters at just a 7.8% rate to produce a solid WHIP of 1.03. The

Those numbers are pretty solid, aside from his FIP, but the downside of his performance was his health. If he can stay healthy and pitch the way he did last season, then it would be a significant boost that the Blue Jays desperately need.

Although he is likely to miss the first half of the 2025 season, his second half will be the deciding factor on if Toronto will continue to roster Manoah down the road or move on from him for good. It will be a big test coming off of a significant injury, but his productivity has proven to be hit or miss and the Blue Jays can not afford to keep risking that major risk in the rotation.