Major League Baseball’s deadline to tender a contract to arbitration-eligible players passed at 5p.m. ET on Friday, and former Toronto Blue Jays righty Alek Manoah is among the list of players who were not tendered a contract.
Per the Collective Bargaining Agreement, arbitration-eligible players who are not tendered a contract by the deadline immediately become free agents and do not need to pass through waivers before being signed by any of the league’s 30 teams.
Players who are tendered a contract will push forward in the arbitration process.
Manoah, 27, was non-tendered by the Atlanta Braves after he was claimed on waivers in September. He did not make an appearance for Atlanta in the major leagues or the minors.
The imposing righty burst onto the scene in Toronto after he was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Blue Jays in the 2019 MLB Amateur Draft. He made his debut in 2021, where he finished eighth in Rookie of the Year voting after pitching in 20 games, then followed that campaign with an even more impressive one.
In 2022, Manoah was named an All-Star and finished third in American League Cy Young voting after pitching to a 2.24 earned-run average with 180 strikeouts in 31 starts.
However, Manoah was unable to reclaim that form, as injuries and inconsistent production limited the Homestead, Florida native to just 24 appearances over the past three seasons.
Elsewhere, 2023 postseason hero Adolis Garcia was non-tendered by the Texas Rangers along with catcher Jonah Heim. Garcia hit eight home runs in 15 games in helping the Rangers to the franchise’s only World Series title in 2023. He was named ALCS MVP and hit a dramatic walk-off home run in extra innings in Game 1 of the World Series against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
The 32-year-old hit .227 with 19 home runs – his fewest in any of his five full-time seasons – in 2025.
Heim started at least 90 games at catcher for the Rangers in each of the past four campaigns, and was named an All-Star and took home a Gold Glove at catcher in 2023. He hit .213 with 11 home runs in 2025.
“Regardless of what happens moving forward, Adolis, Jonah and [pitcher] Josh [Sborz] will always be remembered for their contributions to the first World Series title in franchise history,” said Chris Young, the team’s president of baseball operations. “Those memories will forever hold a special place in the hearts of Rangers fans. We are grateful for their time in Texas and the mark they have left on this franchise.”
The Blue Jays tendered contracts to all of its eligible players: Daulton Varsho, Eric Lauer, Ernie Clement and Tyler Heineman.
Other notable players non-tendered at the 5 p.m. deadline include first baseman Nathaniel Lowe, who is a former Silver Slugger and Gold Glover who was non-tendered by the Boston Red Sox, righty reliever Evan Phillips, who had 42 saves from 2023-24 with the Los Angeles Dodgers but is recovering from Tommy John surgery in the summer, and Gregory Santos, a fireballing righty reliever non-tendered by the Seattle Mariners after he struggled to stay healthy this past season.