Embattled Toronto Blue Jays' Pitcher Reportedly Still Favorite For Team's Fifth Starter Spot

Despite the dreadful nature of his 2023 season, former American League Cy Young finalist Alek Manoah is still the favorite for the No. 5 spot in the starting rotation.

According to reports, embattled Toronto Blue Jays' pitcher Alek Manoah is still the favorite for the team's No. 5 starter spot heading into spring training.

Per MLB.com's roster projections:

Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt, Yusei Kikuchi, Alek Manoah

The top four? Locked in. The fifth spot will be a competition between Manoah, Bowden Francis and potentially Yariel Rodriguez, but Manoah lands in Dunedin with the inside track.

This checks out with everything we have heard about Manoah this offseason. The Blue Jays had ample chances to try to trade him and elected not to.

The 26-year-old had a miserable 2023 season, going 3-9 with a 5.87 ERA. He struck out just 79 batters in 87.1 innings just a year after being the Blue Jays Game 1 starter in the playoffs. He also was sent to the minor leagues on multiple occasions.

There were complaints about his fitness levels and his inability to adjust to the new pitch clock.

All that said, he's still young, and is under team control through 2027, so you understand why Toronto doesn't want to sell low on him - or perhaps sell at all. He went 16-7 in 2022 with a 2.24 ERA. He was an All-Star and finished third in the American League Cy Young voting.

The Jays just signed Rodriguez to a five-year deal last week but he is a few years removed from being a consistent starter and was last a prominent reliever in Japan.

The Blue Jays finished third in the American League East and were swept in the wildcard round of the playoffs in 2023.

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