Blue Jays Rumors: Team "Not Close" In Contract Offer To Young Stud

It was just one of those off-handed remarks in passing, but MLB Insider Jon Heyman dropped a remark in his Friday New York Post column that made some Toronto Blue Jays fans a little nervous.

The Jays made a contract suggestion for Alek Manoah this winter. Word is they were “not close.”

Now, whether this means that they made an official extension offer, or just merely, literally a "suggestion" of what a contract could look like, is unknown. But what we do know is that the Jays renewed their young ace pitcher's contract earlier this spring, with a $40,000 raise.

Alek Manoah is being renewed by the Blue Jays, as @JonHeyman reported. He'll earn $745,650 in 2023, according to an industry source. Minimum this year is $720K. He made $706,200 last year, when he also took a renewal rather than accepting the club's scale-based raise. https://t.co/Ulq4RAny7G
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) February 24, 2023

As the minimum contract this year is $720K, as pointed out by Jays beat reporter Shi Davidi, Manoah—a Top 3 Cy Young Finalist in 2022—is making just $25K above league minimum. But the 25-year-old Manoah didn't seem to be sweating it, saying at the time, "There are no hard feelings there (toward the Blue Jays) at all – this is a business decision."

Manoah actually decided to reject a substandard raise from the Jays based on a pre-determined scale. That was done for "business" reasons also. "At the end of the day, I'm getting less money in my pocket but there's a precedent to be set,” Manoah said last month. “We did a decent job in the CBA last year of fighting for (Year) 0-3 players and I was able to dip into that bonus pool a little bit."

Manoah is under team control for five more seasons (including this one), and isn't set to become a free agent until following the 2027 season. They've got plenty more time to work on getting an extension done that suits both sides.

Last season, the young stud made his first All-Star appearance, and went 16-7 with a 2.24 ERA and a 0.99 WHIP. He finished 3rd in the Cy Young balloting.

Photo: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports