In a rather shocking turn of events, the Toronto Blue Jays sent their ace, Alek Manoah, to the minor leagues on Tuesday afternoon.

He will be reporting to the Jays’ team in the Florida Complex League, a rookie-level circuit.

The decision comes after the right-hander had a disastrous outing against the Houston Astros in which he allowed six earned runs in 0.1 innings.

The problem goes beyond his last start, though.

He has a 6.36 ERA for the season in 58 innings, with an equally horrible 6.52 Fielding Independent Pitching (FIP).

Last year, he allowed 16 home runs in 196.2 frames, and he is already up to 11 long-balls conceded this season.

Fans weighed in on the Jays’ decision via Twitter.

Some people were extremely positive after finding out the news:

It will be good for him in the long run. Hard to make major adjustments in the majors when your struggling that much. He can go down and work on his stuff and back up his confidence with out the weight of the team’s success on his shoulders. He will be back better then ever.

— Brando (@BrandoBarrett89) June 6, 2023

Hopefully it will take some of the pressure off of him and he can figure things out. He has so much talent, so much drive and seems to be a genuinely good human being. Good luck Alek!

— Josiebet (@Josiebet2) June 6, 2023

Others, however, not so much:

In this precise moment, the Blue Jays took that decision pic.twitter.com/nYd0BTGnUU

— Eduardo (@EduardoAbrams) June 6, 2023

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Blue Jays insider Keegan Matheson shared his thoughts about what the Jays might be thinking by sending Manoah to the Complex League.

Sending Alek Manoah to the complex league is easy to call "the Roy Halladay treatment", but again, they're very different pitchers and situations.

In Dunedin, Manoah will be able to use the complex, the pitching lab and the million other resources.

This is a full, total reset.

— Keegan Matheson (@KeeganMatheson) June 6, 2023

By the look of things, Manoah will be in the minors for a while.

He has looked completely off, so it’s perhaps the right move.

That appears to be the common sentiment among Jays fans: he needs a reset.

Good call to send him down to complex rather than AAA. He needs time to work this out

— Randeep Randhawa (@RandeepRandhawa) June 6, 2023

Everybody knows that Manoah is an asset if he is healthy and his mind and focus are in the right place.

It might take a while, but perhaps he needs some time to work on his pitching mechanics.

There is no reason to think he won’t eventually return and resemble the pitcher he was in 2021 and 2022: a true ace.

The post Fans React To Today’s Alek Manoah News appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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It has been said before but this next season will be very pivotal for the legacy of Ben Simmons of the Brooklyn Nets.

When Simmons was traded to the Nets in 2022, everyone was wondering if he would look like the former number-one overall draft pick and three-time All-Star he is.

Unfortunately, he never once reached the heights of his previous seasons and was often injured and never playing with the grit and skill fans expected.

This last season ended with a whimper as Simmons was sidelined with yet another injury.

But he is apparently looking better and ready to play again.

Simmons posted images of himself in the gym on social media and he definitely seems to be physically healthy and engaged.

Ben Simmons back in the lab

(via @BenSimmons25/ IG) pic.twitter.com/mEAA3XAcz3

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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) June 6, 2023

His engagement is a subject of much speculation for fans of the team.

Ever since coming to Brooklyn, Simmons’ head hasn’t been in the game.

He has made simple mistakes, fouled out multiple times, and hasn’t trusted his abilities.

This has led to him being something of a non-issue for competitors and he averaged just 6.9 points and 6.3 rebounds a game.

That is shockingly lower than his final season with the Philadelphia 76ers when he produced 14.3 points and 7.2 rebounds a game.

Something has been going on with Simmons, both mentally and physically.

While it is good to see him looking physically stronger, has he also done the work to improve his mentality?

Will he be ready to fight hard when 2023-24 kicks off?

If not, many people will forever lose faith in Simmons and he will be lucky if any team is willing to sign him.

The post Ben Simmons Posts Promising Progress Pictures Online appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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There has been a lot of talk about Dillon Brooks of the Memphis Grizzlies lately.

The star player has been in hot water repeatedly for public comments he made, mostly about the Los Angeles Lakers and LeBron James.

Those words, matched with his team’s poor performance in the playoffs, have put a dark cloud over his head.

But J.B. Bickerstaff has nothing but good things to say about Brooks.

Bickerstaff, who currently coaches the Cleveland Cavaliers, was leading the Grizzlies a few years ago.

He likes a lot of what he saw in Brooks.

“One of the things that made Dillon who he was, was the chip that he had on his shoulder,” Bickerstaff said about Brooks on FanDuel TV.

“One of the things that made Dillon who he was, was the chip that he had on his shoulder” #Cavs head coach J. B. Bickerstaff on what it was like coaching Dillon Brooks in Memphis #RunItBack with @ShamsCharania @MichelleDBeadle @ChandlerParsons & @bansky pic.twitter.com/bKTs9W3kSZ

— FanDuel TV (@FanDuelTV) June 6, 2023

Brooks definitely has a chip on his shoulder.

It doesn’t matter who he is playing against, Brooks will size them up, attempt to intimidate them, and not back down.

Partly because of that, he was known as one of the team’s best defenders for much of the season.

His defensive skill led to him being part of the 2022-23 All-Defensive team.

However, he hit a rough patch when the Grizzlies needed him most.

He still had that chip on his shoulder but he was only producing 10.5 points and 3 rebounds a game during the opening round against the Lakers.

Brooks was tasked with the job of limiting LeBron James and he didn’t do very well.

The Grizzlies have allegedly told Brooks that they are not going to re-sign him this summer.

That means he will have to bring his brand of attitude elsewhere.

Which team will want to work with the in-your-face, combative personality that Brooks brings?

The post NBA Coach Praises Controversial Memphis Grizzlies Star appeared first on The Cold Wire.

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