Brett Cecil, who is eligible for free agency after the 2016 season, is “open” to an extension with the Jays, writes Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet (who, by the way, chatted with Zach Links and MLBTR readers on Periscope earlier today). Cecil is not aware of any extension talks between the two sides. “There’s not necessarily going to be demands on what it’s got to be,” he says. “If they want to talk then we can talk. If not then we don’t.” As Nicholson-Smith notes, Cecil appears to be in line for a significant payday, whether that’s with the Blue Jays or with another team. He posted a 2.48 ERA, with an outstanding 11.6 K/9 and 2.2 BB/9 last season, and this past winter saw good non-closing relievers like Darren O’Day and Ryan Madson land contracts well north of $20MM. And Cecil compares favorably to fellow lefty Tony Sipp, who got $18MM from the Astros. Here’s more from Toronto.
- It’s possible Aaron Sanchez could start the season in the minors, MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. If Gavin Floyd or Jesse Chavez wins the last spot in the rotation, but the Jays feel Sanchez and the team would best served by having him continue to develop as a starter rather than as a reliever. That path could make sense, given Sanchez’s age (he’s still just 23), former top prospect status, and his control problems while serving as a starter in both the Majors and minors. Last year, he allowed 37 walks in 66 innings as a starter. He has also walked over four batters per nine innings in both Triple-A and Double-A, and he was mostly used as a starter in his stints there.
- Earlier today, we learned about longtime first baseman Dan Johnson trying his hand as a pitcher with the Rays. But Johnson isn’t the only position player to attract recent interest as a pitcher. New Angels infielder Cliff Pennington attracted a bit of interest as a pitcher this offseason after making a relief appearance with the Jays in the playoffs last year, reports MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez. “In talking to some teams about straight utility, there was maybe some talk about maybe pitching a few innings to save a bullpen guy here or there throughout the course of a year,” says Pennington. “Nothing more than six, seven innings in a year. It never was anything that was talked about with the Angels.” Such a role would, obviously, be unusual, and only a handful of players in recent memory — Brooks Kieschnick and Micah Owings being two — have really split time between pitching and another role. Pennington threw 90 MPH in the ALCS last year, though he only retired one of the three batters he faced.
Sanchez is 1000% not be starting in the minors.
We’ll see. Management said in the offseason that they had to make decisions on Sanchez and Osuna soon, as far as their long-term roles. If they want Sanchez to be a starter but he’s not good enough yet for the ML rotation, then what choice do they have? He needs to develop in the minors as a starter and work on his secondary pitches. They can’t put him in the bullpen and have him use 2 pitches all year again or they’re going to just have the same issue next year. They have to take their shot with him as a starter and see what they have, and if it doesn’t seem to be working even in the minors, then that will likely be it for him as a starter and they’ll try the same deal next year with Osuna.
This season is about winning, especially with so many pivotal free agents next winter. If the major league team is better with Sanchez in it, he’ll be in it. If that means delaying his starting career by a year, so be it.
Agreed, if Floyd or Sanchez make the team before Sanchez, that would basically be insane.
It’s not about who makes the team, as in who’s better, it’s a question of how do they get Sanchez into the ML rotation if that’s where they want him but he’s not ready yet? You can’t start him in the bullpen, or that’s pretty much it for him as a starter for another year. So you start him in the minors for a couple months and let him develop his secondary pitches further and see what happens. If it works, he joins the ML rotation later in the year, if it doesn’t, he joins the ML bullpen. Either way, he would most likely be back with the team by the summer.
I don’t see how starting Sanchez in the minors would best serve the Blue Jays. He was one of their top relievers last season. If he doesn’t win the 5th starter job, put him back in the bullpen & have a strong back of the pen. Sending him down weakens the bullpen
Everything you wrote is 200% spot on. It wouldn’t help the Jays AT ALL and most importantly, Sanchez. He could not benefit in the minors – especially given he has success at the major league level. – starting in the minors makes no sense. Probably could be one of the dumbest moves if the Jays do it.
Sanchez is a starter period. If he doesn’t make the teams rotation he has to go pitch in the minors or you mind as well scratch him completely from ever being a starter. It’s not fair to keep bouncing him around from bullpen to rotation every year. The Jays need to let him become that starting pitcher they know he will be.