Aaron Sanchez

Giants Sign Aaron Sanchez

By Tim Dierkes | February 21, 2021 at 11:11am CDT

FEBRUARY 21: The deal has been made official. The incentive structure breaks down as follows (per Maria Guardado of MLB.com): $250K apiece for reaching 16 and 18 starts, $500K each for starting 20, 22, 24 and 26 games.

FEBRUARY 17: The Giants have reached an agreement to sign righty Aaron Sanchez, reports Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s a $4MM deal with another $2.5MM in incentives, adds Slusser. Sanchez is represented by the Boras Corporation.

Sanchez, 28, was drafted 34th overall out of high school by the Blue Jays back in 2010 as a supplemental pick for the loss of free agent Marco Scutaro. He was still a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday upon being drafted. Sanchez’s path from Barstow, California to being drafted by the Jays was chronicled in this excellent read from Stephen Brunt of Sportsnet.ca a few years back.

Sanchez’s prospect status climbed as he ascended through the minors, with Baseball America praising his “premium velocity with an effortless delivery.” The Blue Jays eased Sanchez into the Majors in 2014 via the bullpen, and he even picked up three saves in his 24 appearances that year.

Marcus Stroman’s unfortunate ACL tear paved the way for Sanchez to make the Jays’ rotation out of camp in 2015, but after a summer lat strain that year he returned to the ’pen. The following year Sanchez again won the team’s fifth starter job out of spring training, and this time he ran with it. 2016 still stands as the best year of Sanchez’s career, as he posted a 3.00 ERA in 192 innings, making the All-Star team and finishing seventh in the AL Cy Young voting. In a year where the average starting pitcher managed a 20.2 K% and 7.7 BB%, Sanchez fell right around those marks at a 20.4 K% and 8.0 BB%. He did succeed in limiting exit velocity and keeping the ball on the ground. Despite concerns about Sanchez’s workload, which wound up increasing more than 100 innings over the prior year, the Blue Jays couldn’t bring themselves to pull him from the rotation despite a yearlong flirtation with the idea.

Sanchez would be limited to just eight starts in 2017 due to a blister/split fingernail that required four separate IL stints. Further finger issues held him to 20 starts in 2018, culminating in season-ending surgery. Sanchez battled through similar issues in 2019, making 27 starts on the season but averaging fewer than five innings per turn. Sanchez was not able to replicate his previous success, posting a 5.45 ERA, lackluster 18.6 K%, and unfortunate 11.7 BB% across 2018-19. By the 2019 trade deadline, the Blue Jays had seen enough, trading Sanchez to the Astros with Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson for Derek Fisher. Fisher’s Jays story coincidentally came to an end this week with a trade to the Brewers.

While it was thought that the Astros might work magic with Sanchez’s curveball and its 91st percentile spin rate, especially after his debut for the club was the first six innings of a combined no-hitter, the righty quickly went down for shoulder surgery and was non-tendered after the 2019 season. Sanchez wasn’t heard from again until October 2020, when he held a showcase for 20 teams in Miami. Agent Scott Boras would go on to boast of a 2,700-2,800 RPM fastball, speaking of Sanchez’s intent to work as a starter in 2021. Sanchez must have shown well at a second showcase held this month, given the $4MM contract with the Giants. Indeed, Slusser notes that “the Giants have been paying attention to [Sanchez] all off season and took especial notice last week, when Sanchez hit 98 mph in a bullpen session.” Here’s the proof of that from Sanchez’s Instagram.

After another reclamation project gone well, Kevin Gausman, accepted his $18.9MM qualifying offer, the Giants went to work on their rotation this winter by adding Anthony DeSclafani for $6MM (a teammate of Sanchez’s on the 2012 Lansing Lugnuts) and Alex Wood at $3MM on one-year free agent contracts. While Sanchez will presumably round out the team’s starting five, no team is getting by with five starters – not this year, and not with this group. The club also added Nick Tropeano on a minor league deal today, and Logan Webb figures to be in the mix as well. Tyler Beede is expected to become an option around May after recovering from Tommy John surgery.

With pitchers and catchers already starting to report to spring training, there are still several rotation-worthy starting pitchers on the free agent market, including Jake Odorizzi, Taijuan Walker, Rick Porcello, Cole Hamels, and Mike Leake. It’s been an odd winter for starting pitching. Aside from Trevor Bauer, who signed for three years and $102MM, no starting pitcher has landed as much as $20MM. The last time fewer than three starting pitchers received a $20MM guarantee in an offseason was 2009-10, when only John Lackey and Randy Wolf achieved it.

Pitcher Notes: Mets, Paxton, Robertson, Sanchez

By TC Zencka | February 13, 2021 at 10:34pm CDT

The Mets made a run at James Paxton, but they were outbid by the Mariners, per MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (via Twitter). Heyman suggests the Mets will now turn their attention to Taijuan Walker or Jake Odorizzi. Frankly, it seems unlikely they would find the right price point on Odorizzi coming off a very similar season to Paxton (but with a longer track record of good health). Besides, the list of players the Mets “were in on” includes Jake Arrieta, Rich Hill, George Springer and others, notes Andy Martino of the SNY Network (via Twitter). That’s not a knock on the Mets, of course, who have been one of the more active teams this winter. Let’s check in some other free agent pitchers…

Free agent reliever David Robertson threw for a handful of teams yesterday, but the price on his long-term future remains unclear. His old pals from New York were in attendance, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter), but the Yankees are far from the only team who might have interest. Despite the dumb-luck turn of his Philly tenure, Robertson is an intriguing buy-low candidate. Injuries limited the right-hander to seven appearances over the past two seasons, but in the ten years prior, Robertson should be proud of a 2.67 ERA/2.77 FIP while striking out an excellent-for-the-era 32.6 percent of hitters and walking a near-average 9.5 percent of challengers. The Yankees probably remember better than most just how good Robertson was in his prime. Approaching his age-36 season, Robertson is decidedly on the downslope of his career – but he has a long way to fall before losing his utility.
Aaron Sanchez also headed back to the hill to throw for scouts on Saturday, per Mike Puma of the New York Post (via Twitter). The Mets were among those present, as they continue to keep their hand in the starting pitching market. Sanchez is on record as wanting a spot in the rotation, which could limit his potential landing spots. It now seems like ages ago that Sanchez led the American League with a 3.00 ERA over 30 starts for the Blue Jays in 2016. Since that All-Star campaign, Sanchez has compiled a 5.29 ERA/5.12 FIP across 55 starts totaling 272 1/3 innings with a worm-killing 47.8 percent groundball rate. An 18.1 percent strikeout rate and 11.7 percent walk rate are less than inspiring figures, however.

Latest From Scott Boras On Paxton, Sanchez

By TC Zencka | November 10, 2020 at 9:04pm CDT

Scott Boras is out on the campaign trail to shill for his clients in the early days of free agency. Boras is the most famous agent in the game, and one of the best in the business at making sure his clients get paid. He’s a salesman, and salesmen gotta sell.

Boras tells MLB Network’s Jon Morosi that James Paxton will soon throw for talent evaluators. Morosi reports (via Twitter) that Paxton has been working to strengthen his “lumbar region” after back surgery in February. Morosi also notes that Boras says, “There’s a great deal of interest in [Paxton].”

There’s sure to be interest in Paxton as a former front-line southpaw potentially signable on a short-term prove-it-type deal coming off a season lost to injury. 2020 was a tough year for The Big Maple, who in 5 starts went 1-1 with a 6.64 ERA, though a 4.37 FIP suggests more time on the diamond might have stabilized that bloated ERA. In his first year with the Yankees, Paxton went 15-6 with a 3.82 ERA/3.86 FIP across 150 2/3 innings, which more closely matches the kind of production we’ve come to expect from Paxton. Health – or lack thereof – is Paxton’s Achilles heel. The 32-year-old has never thrown more than 161 innings while averaging just 142 innings per season from 2016 to 2019. In today’s day and age, however, that kind of volume isn’t likely to bother teams as much as it might have in the past.

Elsewhere on the free agency campaign trail, former Astros and Blue Jays right-hander Aaron Sanchez is showing off his high-spin fastball for a number of teams this winter, per MLB Network’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter). Boras, who reps Sanchez, predicts unequivocally that Sanchez will be a starting pitcher in 2021. In October, MLBTR’s Anthony Franco wrote about Sanchez throwing for about 20 teams, which was the first we’d seen of him since missing all of 2020 after undergoing surgery to address a tear in his right shoulder capsule. The possibility of Sanchez out of the bullpen was an intriguing idea, but Boras is positioning him as a starter.

When Houston acquired Sanchez before the 2019 trade deadline, the pairing seemed like a good fit because of a high-spin hook – and high spin rates being somewhat of a specialty for the Astros. Sanchez’s curve ranked in the 91st percentile for spin rate. In his first start, in fact, Sanchez threw 6 hit-less innings as part of a 4-man no-hitter against the Mariners. Unfortunately, injuries ended his season after just 4 starts with Houston. The 28-year-old has a career record of 34-33 across 150 appearances (96 starts) totaling 589 ⅔ innings with a 3.98 ERA/4.40 FIP, 1.81 K/BB rate, and 9.0 career rWAR.

Aaron Sanchez Works Out For Teams

By Anthony Franco | October 12, 2020 at 10:35pm CDT

Free agent pitcher Aaron Sanchez threw in front of “about 20 teams” last week, reports Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). This is the first we’ve heard of the right-hander since the Astros non-tendered him in December. He hasn’t pitched since undergoing surgery to address a tear in his right shoulder capsule last September.

Shoulder surgeries can present a difficult road back for pitchers, but Sanchez will be an interesting reclamation project this offseason. He only turned 28 in July, so he’s still got youth on his side. Prior to his injury, Sanchez was working in the 93-94 MPH range with high-end spin on his curveball. Those promising pitch characteristics prompted the Astros to acquire him alongside Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays for Derek Fisher at last year’s trade deadline. That deal almost immediately turned sour for Houston, with Sanchez going down after four starts and Biagini struggling immensely. Neither player remains in the organization.

It’s been a rough few years for the former supplemental first-round draftee. Sanchez looked like one of the top young arms in the sport in 2016, when he made 30 starts with a 3.00 ERA/3.55 FIP for Toronto. Since the start of 2017, he’s managed just a 5.29 ERA across 272.1 innings, thanks mostly to a drastic uptick in walks. Those struggles, combined with the shoulder surgery, will likely limit Sanchez to minor-league offers or perhaps a small one-year deal this winter. There’s little harm for interested teams in giving him an opportunity in spring training, though.

Speculatively speaking, trying him out in the bullpen could be particularly intriguing. For one, shorter stints might give Sanchez a better opportunity to stay healthy. He has also had some difficulty working through opposing lineups multiple times in his career, which a relief role would obviously mitigate.

Astros To Non-Tender Aaron Sanchez

By Jeff Todd | December 2, 2019 at 4:06pm CDT

The Astros will not tender a contract to right-hander Aaron Sanchez, per MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand (via Twitter). MLBTR had projected him to earn $5.6MM in arbitration.

It’s wholly unsurprising to learn of this decision. While Sanchez again showed off his talent at times in 2019, it was another uneven effort. And he ended up requiring shoulder surgery that will keep him out for the start of the 2020 campaign.

That’s not to say that Sanchez won’t draw plenty of interest in free agency. The live-armed but oft-injured hurler hasn’t been productive over a lengthy run since his excellent 2016 campaign, but he’s still just 27 years of age. Though his rehab outlook isn’t yet known, plenty of teams will surely have designs on pursuing some upside if he’s able to get back to full health.

Aaron Sanchez To Miss Start Of 2020 Season

By Mark Polishuk | September 26, 2019 at 7:41pm CDT

Some details of Aaron Sanchez’s rather mysterious shoulder surgery were revealed today, as Sanchez told reporters (including Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle) that his September 10 procedure addressed a tear in his right shoulder capsule. The right-hander intends to pitch in 2020, though there isn’t any chance he’ll be ready for an Opening Day roster.

Rome made the comparison to Julio Urias’ capsule procedure, which took place in late June 2017 and kept the Dodgers hurler off a big league mound until mid-September 2018. While the circumstances of such surgeries vary from person to person, Urias’ injury was a relatively “clean” issue that didn’t include any other shoulder problems beyond the capsule, yet he was still out of action on the long end of a projected 12-to-14 month timeline.

Assuming that Sanchez’s injury is similar in nature, a return by late September 2020 would seem to be really pushing it. There isn’t a long track record of pitchers successfully regaining their old form following capsule surgeries, though Urias has posted some strong numbers (2.52 ERA, 3.27 K/BB rate, 9.7 K/BB) over 78 2/3 innings for Los Angeles this season, pitching mostly out of the bullpen.

Until a more precise timeline is known for Sanchez, speculation will continue to swirl about his contract situation for the coming season. The Astros could choose to non-tender Sanchez if he indeed will miss most-to-all of the 2020 season, which will be Sanchez’s final season before free agency. Sanchez only earned $3.9MM in 2019 and wouldn’t be in line for a big raise, though that number still represents money saved for the Astros if Sanchez ends up being unable to contribute much next year. It’s possible Houston could non-tender Sanchez and then re-sign him to an incentive-filled contract based on playing time, or perhaps even ink him to a two-year deal with the understanding that 2020 would basically be a write-off.

Aaron Sanchez May Not Be Ready For Start Of 2020 Season

By Steve Adams | September 18, 2019 at 6:01pm CDT

Details surrounding Aaron Sanchez’s shoulder surgery last week remain unusually sparse, but Astros manager A.J. Hinch indicated to reporters today that Sanchez’s rehab process could carry into the 2020 season (Twitter link via Brian McTaggart of MLB.com).

The uncertainty surrounding Sanchez’s readiness for the 2020 season only further muddies the Astros’ decision on whether to tender him a contract this winter. The 27-year-old Sanchez was a paid a relatively modest $3.9MM salary in 2019 and struggled when healthy enough to take the ball, so his forthcoming arbitration raise will be anything but exorbitant. But, if the Astros are concerned that the right-hander will miss a substantial portion of the 2020 campaign, then it’s possible they could simply move on. Doing so just months after trading Derek Fisher to acquire Sanchez and Joe Biagini from the Blue Jays certainly wouldn’t be an ideal outcome, but spending on a player whose health outlook is cloudy enough could potentially prove more detrimental yet.

There’s reason for the Astros to roll the dice on Sanchez, of course. Although he’s been consistently plagued by fingernail and blister issues in recent seasons, he was excellent in Toronto as recently as 2016, when he pitched 192 innings of 3.00 ERA ball with 7.6 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and an outstanding 54.4 percent ground-ball rate. Add in that Sanchez can be retained at a relatively low rate and that the ’Stros could lose Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Collin McHugh to free agency this winter, and a low-cost flier on Sanchez has its appeal.

Then again, the Astros were able to wait out the starting pitching market and sign Miley for a $4.5MM guarantee last winter. They could seek a similarly low-cost match with a free-agent starter this winter rather than promise a comparable sum to Sanchez in arbitration. Justin Verlander and Zack Greinke will return to front next year’s rotation, and the Astros will also likely have Lance McCullers Jr. back from Tommy John surgery. Houston does already have more than $156MM committed to the 2020 payroll — not including arbitration raises for Carlos Correa, Brad Peacock, Roberto Osuna, Jake Marisnick, Biagini and a likely repeat of McCullers’ $4.1MM salary — so the team may not be keen on further spending on a player with this level of uncertainty.

AL West Notes: Luzardo, Sanchez, Gallo, Santana

By Mark Polishuk | September 15, 2019 at 11:05pm CDT

Jesus Luzardo’s second Major League appearance resulted in his first career save, as the star Athletics rookie allowed a run on two hits and two walks over three innings of work in Oakland’s 6-1 win over the Rangers today. Luzardo has tossed three innings in each of his two MLB games, both times coming directly after a starter (Brett Anderson on Wednesday after five innings, and Sean Manaea after six innings today). Should the A’s reach the postseason, there’s certainly a case that Luzardo could serve as either a multi-inning reliever or even as a proper starter. “That gives us a little pause for thought about how we potentially might do things down the road,” A’s manager Bob Melvin told reporters, including the San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser. “Obviously, we have to get there, a lot of work between then and now. But you definitely think of some options, especially with Luzardo coming out of the pen doing what he’s doing.”

AL West Notes: A’s Rotation, Sanchez, Goodwin

By Steve Adams | September 6, 2019 at 9:26am CDT

The Athletics will effectively deploy a six-man rotation for the time being, writes Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. Sean Manaea’s return puts him alongside Mike Fiers, Brett Anderson, Chris Bassitt, Tanner Roark and Homer Bailey in the rotation, and it seems that there’s no immediate plans to push any of that bunch into a bullpen role. Skipper Bob Melvin called the situation “fluid” and left open the possibility for a change should the need arise. The flexibility could prove particularly important in the season’s final few games, as Melvin could potentially have the ability to optimize some matchups late in the year as the A’s look to secure a Wild Card playoff berth for the second straight season.

Of that bunch, the Athletics will lose Roark, Bailey and Anderson to free agency this winter, although the team isn’t exactly short on internal replacement options. Top prospect A.J. Puk is fully recovered from Tommy John surgery, and while he’s in the bullpen for 2019, he’s expected vie for rotation gig in 2020. Righty Jharel Cotton is in a similar position, while uber-prospect Jesus Luzardo is also on the cusp of MLB readiness. Oakland, of course, also has righty Frankie Montas on the sidelines until late September due to an 80-game PED suspension, but he’ll be back in the starting mix next year.

Elsewhere in the AL West…

Aaron Sanchez’s season-ending shoulder surgery could give the Astros a difficult decision regarding the right-hander’s future in the organization, writes Jake Kaplan of The Athletic (subscription required). The organization has yet to divulge details on what type of procedure he’ll require, but Sanchez is owed a raise on this season’s $3.9MM salary in arbitration. His lackluster season won’t make the ultimate price point too steep, so it seems worthwhile to tender Sanchez a contract so long as he’s not expected to be sidelined well into next summer, but the sudden uncertainty surrounding his outlook is an unwelcome development as the club plans for the 2020 campaign. The extent of Sanchez’s expected recovery will play a role in how aggressively the ’Stros need to pursue rotation help in the offseason; Gerrit Cole, Wade Miley and Collin McHugh are free agents, while Justin Verlander, Zack Greinke and Lance McCullers Jr. (who’ll ideally be recovered from 2018 Tommy John surgery) are all signed or controlled through at least 2021.
The Angels’ March claim of Brian Goodwin off release waivers from the Royals may have initially been intended to find a capable stopgap for the injured Justin Upton, but the 28-year-old Goodwin looks to have played himself into the team’s plans in 2020, writes Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. “Truthfully, I thought he was going to be a filler until Upton came back,” manager Brad Ausmus admitted. “But then he just proved himself to be way too valuable. Much more than just a stop-gap player. He’s turned himself into, shoot, you could make the argument he should play more.” Goodwin, indeed, has been a boon to the Halos’ roster, hitting at a .286/.346/.507 clip with 15 home runs, 27 doubles, two triples and five steals through 380 plate appearances. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time this winter and should secure the first seven-figure salary of his career. The Angels hold a club option on Kole Calhoun and will have both Upton and Mike Trout back in 2020, but Goodwin at the very least should be a fourth outfield option next season.

Aaron Sanchez To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery

By Mark Polishuk | September 5, 2019 at 11:26am CDT

Aaron Sanchez won’t pitch again this season, as Astros GM Jeff Luhnow told reporters (including Mark Berman of KRIV Fox 26) that the right-hander is set to undergo shoulder surgery next week. The nature of the procedure or Sanchez’s recovery timeline isn’t yet known, as Luhnow said more details will be forthcoming after the surgery takes place.

Sanchez was already on the injured list (dating back to August 21) due to a sore right pectoral muscle, and though the severity of his shoulder problem isn’t yet established, it represents yet another troubling injury absence for the 27-year-old. Sanchez was plagued with a variety of blister, nail, and finger problems in 2017-18, and also missed over two months due to finger surgery in 2018.

These injuries derailed what was looking like a career on the rise, as Sanchez posted a league-best 3.00 ERA in 2016 for a Blue Jays team that reached the American League Championship Series. Since the end of that season, however, Sanchez has a 5.29 ERA, 7.4 K/9, and 1.54 K/BB rate over 272 1/3 innings for Toronto and Houston, as he has been unable to regain his past form even when healthy.

The Jays dealt Sanchez to the Astros as part of a four-player deal at the trade deadline, and the prevailing thought was that Sanchez could blossom with a change of scenery, particularly given how the Astros had proven to be adept at reviving pitchers’ careers or taking them to another level in recent years. This seemed like the case almost immediately, as Sanchez’s first start as an Astro saw him toss six hitless innings as part of a combined no-hitter.

After following that start up with another strong outing, however, Sanchez struggled over his next two starts, and his first season for Houston will finish with a 4.82 ERA, 7.7 K/9, and 1.78 K/BB rate over 18 2/3 innings. While it’s a small sample size, Sanchez’s home run problems (already an issue in Toronto) worsened, as he surrendered five homers over those 18 2/3 frames.

Sanchez as seen as a potential relief weapon out of the Astros’ pen in October (he excelled in a similar role during the 2015 Blue Jays’ postseason run). Since Sanchez is no longer an option, it adds another question mark to an increasingly troubled Astros relief corps as the club approaches the playoffs. Ryan Pressly, Collin McHugh, and Brad Peacock are all on the IL, while closer Roberto Osuna has been rather homer-prone himself. It remains to be seen how healthy and effective the relievers will be to back up the all-world starting quartet of Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Zack Greinke, and Wade Miley.

Looking long-term, if the surgery require a long recovery period, Sanchez could even be in danger of being non-tendered by Houston in the offseason. He will be arbitration-eligible for a third and final time this winter, though he won’t carry a big price tag, after Sanchez made just under $1.271MM in 2019. With only a modest raise forthcoming, the Astros could decide to tender Sanchez a contract just to see what they can get from him next year, or perhaps work out a two-year extension to keep him into the fold for 2021 should Sanchez miss a large portion of the 2020 season.

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