The Toronto Blue Jays are dead smack in the middle of a fierce AL Wild Card race and didn't do themselves any favors towards making the playoffs when they lost four in a row to the Texas Rangers. Unfortunately, 2022 Cy Young contender Alek Manoah hasn't really been a part of the team's plans this season due to his struggles. And right now, Manoah isn't even expected to pitch again in 2023. In fact, he's reportedly not even doing any work off the mound.

The Manoah saga is well-documented across the MLB world and continues to be a topic of conversation amongst the Blue Jays and their fans. To be brutally honest, Toronto completely mishandled the situation and as a result, will probably end up trading last year's ace in the offseason, although his value is at an all-time low.

Yes, Manoah started off the campaign in horrible fashion, which led to the Jays sending him down to the Minors. Not only did he get demoted, but the franchise shipped their ex-first-round pick to Dunedin, Florida to work on his mechanics and pitch in rookie ball. Yes, you read that correctly.

When have you EVER heard of a ball club demoting their best pitcher the year before to the lowest level of the minor leagues? It just doesn't happen. When he got absolutely lit up by a bunch of Yankees farmhands, it wasn't exactly surprising. I mean, Toronto has absolutely destroyed Manoah's confidence.

But, that's just the start. A month later in early July, the Blue Jays recalled Manoah and he wasn't all that bad. The Florida native allowed seven earned runs across two starts (10.2 innings in total), striking out 11 and walking five. Not Cy Young numbers like 22′, but not atrocious, either. Instead of giving him more of a chance to improve, Manoah just stopped pitching for nearly a month before they sent him down to Triple-A. When that happened, however, Manoah refused to head to Buffalo and has apparently just stayed in Toronto and now wants to do nothing.

Again, that's just the report. Nevertheless, the reality is that the Blue Jays didn't do right by Manoah. He was lights out a year ago and hasn't just lost his talent. Demoting him to the Minors would've been fine. Let Manoah go to Triple-A or perhaps even Double-A New Hampshire, work on some things, gain some confidence, and then come back to the show and hopefully regain his form.

Instead, Toronto simply slapped the 25-year-old in the face and sent him to a place he never pitched. Manoah started his pro career in Low-A Vancouver at the time in 2019 and then getting promoted to Triple-A before eventually making his big league debut.

I'm not going to say the Jays won't make the playoffs because of how they mistreated Manoah. That would be nonsense. Toronto's staff has actually thrown the ball very well, even without him. Consistency at the plate is the issue.

At this point, it's hard to believe Alek Manoah and the Blue Jays can repair their relationship. It almost feels like he needs a fresh start elsewhere. There

It would be great to see Manoah come back in Spring Training and just dominate. I mean, it's possible. But, given how the organization has handled him in 2023, I doubt he can find his best again in a Toronto uniform.