Alek Manoah says latest salary renewal from Blue Jays is business, not personal
Toronto Blue Jays starter Alek Manoah. Photo: GETTY IMAGES.
Alek Manoah accepts an extension from the Toronto Blue Jays for a second straight season and again declines a raise based on the club’s preset scale to make a point at fair value for players before arbitration.
The 25-year-old right-hander will earn $745,650, the middle ground between the big league minimum salary of $720,000 and the pay rise he’ll receive under the club’s system for awarding raises based on play and service, according to an industry source would have time.
Manoah was rolled over for $706,200 last year and took third place in the American League’s Cy Young Award voting after going 196.2 innings in 31 starts and a 2.24 ERA.
That earned him an additional $2,191,023 through the pre-arbitration performance bonus pool that is part of the new collective bargaining agreement, an improvement for elite players between zero and three years of service, but Manoah still understands and protests in a system.
“There’s no hard feelings about it at all (towards the Blue Jays) – it’s a business decision. At the end of the day, I’m getting less money in my pocket, but a precedent needs to be set,” Manoah said in an interview on Friday.
“We did a good job in the CBA last year battling for 0-3 players and I was able to dive into that bonus pool a bit. Personally, I think we’re not where we need to be yet, but we’re moving in the right direction. That’s the greatest thing, continuing to leave the game better than we found it.”
As such, Manoah’s decision to decline a below-par raise based on a predetermined scale is a decision made in conjunction with his representatives. Teammate Bo Bichette went the same way last year before entering arbitration this offseason, something Manoah is eligible for after the 2024 season, if not as early as next winter.
Manoah says Blue Jays are known to value players in arbitrations
The tiered system of player compensation, set by clubs at three years on their own scale relative to the major league minimum, followed by three years of arbitration and then free agency, places young elite players like Manoah at massive early-career deals.
It’s only in the final stages of progression, when players hit the open market, that they can reach their full potential, but by that point they’re generally past their peak, preventing them from capitalizing on their prime.
“Now that you understand the system a little better, it really shouldn’t matter what year you’re in — values are values,” Manoah said.
“The Blue Jays are one of the better organizations to do that (a pre-court pay scale). Some organizations put guys in a bucket and then give a standard raise for everyone. At least the Blue Jays have a calculated system where you can earn those bonuses a little bit more than others.”
The Blue Jays system rewards both service time and performance with bonuses for things like All-Star selections and top 3 placements in prize voting, both of which Manoah achieved last year.
Manoah: “I don’t think I’m a priority right now”
Manoah starts this season with a full year plus 130 days of service, or 1,130, and another full season could see him eligible for arbitration at the end of this season if he finishes in the top 18 percent of players between two and three years of service.
The cut-off for Super Two players, as they’re known, was 2.128 last offseason but was up to 2.134 in 2018.
The thin line will make a dramatic difference to Manoah’s income not only in 2024 but for years to come as salaries escalate significantly just through arbitration, building on the previous year.
Teams sometimes use the limits of early-career earning power to buy out free agents years later and offset the cost with long-term renewals, but Manoah said little seemed to be happening in that regard.
Given that he’s not eligible for free agency until 2027, “I don’t think I’m a priority right now,” he said.
“I’m definitely under contract for the next five years and I’m fine with that. I understand that there is a system that builds gradually, work 1, work 2, whatever the case, and I am absolutely happy to go through with this process and allow the team to spend money on other people and me continue to earn my worth and earn what i hope to get one day.
“I don’t think there have been any conversations about anything. I don’t expect to be my priority now. I’m under contract anyway, so they really don’t have to buy me or sell me or anything. I’m super happy with where I am and with the guys we’re bringing into the clubhouse and how the team looks. That is more important than anything else right now.”
Such mature perspective comes from his realization that he’s locked into a tariff system and directing any frustration at the differences there, not against the Blue Jays, who play by the rules as written.
“The fans understand that I want to play in Toronto for a long time,” said Manoah.
“I believe in this team and I believe in the city; I’m super happy here and I think we’re going to win a World Series. Whether it’s this year, next year or the year after, whenever it is, I believe this team is destined for great things. Little things like this (renewal), I try not to spend too much on it. There are no hard feelings. It’s just the business part of it.”