According to Sportsnet’s Jamie Campbell (@SNETCampbell on “X”), the Toronto Blue Jays are to sign P Aaron Sanchez, who pitched for Toronto for 6 seasons (2014-2019), to a minor-league deal. Sanchez has served as a journeyman since 2019, bouncing around to the Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Washington Nationals, and, most recently, the Minnesota Twins. Now, with the absence of long relievers being a glaring void on the Blue Jays in 2024, Sanchez joins Toronto to provide them with quality pitching depth.
Bright Future Cut Off By Injuries
As mentioned, Aaron Sanchez played for Toronto from 2014-2019. In his first season with the big club, Sanchez saw plenty of action coming out of the bullpen, as he pitched to a 1.09 ERA and 2.80 FIP while registering 3 saves during the 2014 campaign.
His breakout season came in 2016, as the right-hander pitched to an AL-best 3.00 ERA and solid 3.55 FIP. His contributions in 2016, combined with those of J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada, assisted Toronto’s playoff run to the ALCS against Cleveland. The righty finished 7th in AL Cy Young voting during the campaign.
Despite a bright future being ahead for the starter, Sanchez ended up dealing with blister issues during the 2017, 2018, and 2019 seasons. The injury concern resulted in Sanchez being packaged with RP Joe Biagini and OF Cal Stevenson in a trade with the Houston Astros in exchange for OF Derek Fisher, ending his tenure with the Blue Jays after 6 seasons.
Purely a Depth Role
Given that Sanchez is to sign a minor-league deal, he’ll likely start in AAA with the Buffalo Bisons and won’t take up a 40-man roster spot. He serves a much-needed depth role at the LR spot, backing up pitchers like Trevor Richards and Bowden Francis, who are currently on the 40-man roster. Sanchez and P Paolo Espino, who is currently with the Bisons, will likely battle to be the call-up in the case of an emergency in the Toronto Blue Jays bullpen.
A Return to the Rogers Centre in 2024?
There isn’t much to read into with this Aaron Sanchez MiLB signing, as it is purely a depth move. However, given that Sanchez was an integral part of the 2015 and 2016 Blue Jays teams, he’ll likely receive quite an ovation from Toronto fans if he gets to pitch at Rogers Centre during 2024. With how shaky the bullpen has been early on, Blue Jays faithful just might be able to see this happen.