Guardians should add recently non-tendered Cy Young finalist to red-hot pitching lab

It’s long been said that you can never have enough pitching. We saw that theme play out last season with the Guardians, as they had to use 26 pitchers this year due to a variety of injuries, underperformance and suspensions. 

And the Guardians have a chance to add to that depth thanks to the Atlanta Braves deciding not to tender a contract to Alek Manoah, making him a free agent.  

While Manoah hasn’t pitched in MLB since May 2024 due to Tommy John surgery, he’s less than three years removed from being one of the best pitchers in the American League.

Manoah burst onto the scene with the Blue Jays in 2021 when he posted a 3.22 ERA in 111 2/3 innings before becoming a household name with his stellar 2022 season.

He recorded a 2.24 ERA in 196 2/3 innings, which was good for a third place finish in the Cy Young race along with some back-end MVP votes. He also earned the start in Game 1 of the American League Wild Card Series. 

Not much has gone right for him since, however. 

He struggled with his command in 2023 and was sent down to the Florida Complex League in a move that raised eyeballs all around baseball. He ended up coming back about a month later, and then only made five starts in 2024 before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery. 

While he didn't appear in a big league game in 2025, he made seven starts in Triple-A for Toronto and posted a 2.97 ERA. The Braves scooped Manoah up at the end of September after the Blue Jays designated him for assignment, but ultimately decided he wasn't worth taking up a roster spot the entire offseason.

The Guardians should consider rolling the dice on Alek Manoah

Even if Manoah may never reach the heights he hit during his electric run in 2022, he seems like the perfect pitcher to insert into Cleveland’s pitching lab, which has a reputation of being one of baseball’s best at helping injured pitchers turn things around. 

While that normally applies to veteran pitchers on their last legs like John Means and Matthew Boyd, Manoah would be a bit different. He’d have the best résumé of any of those pitchers mentioned, and he’d also be the youngest (he’ll turn 28 in January). 

Although the Guardians finished the year with a six-man rotation, they don't have a ton of MLB-ready pitching depth. Not only would Manoah to the picture would give them another solid depth option, but it would also give them a controllable asset thanks to the fact he has two years of team control remaining.

The Guardians always seem to add at least one veteran arm in need of rehabilitation in the offseason; why not have Manoah be this year's version?