Royals Just Acquired Forgotten Former Blue Jays All-Star
In this story:
It's the peak of "interesting minor-league signing" season, and the Kansas City Royals just picked up a name that will assuredly turn some heads.
According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Royals and right-handed pitcher Aaron Sanchez agreed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday. The deal includes an invite to spring training in Arizona next month.
Sanchez, who was an All-Star for the Toronto Blue Jays in his prime, has not pitched in the majors since 2022. But after a standout performance in the Dominican Winter League, he'll be looking to reclaim his spot on a 26-man roster.
If you like our content, choose Sports Illustrated as a preferred source on Google.
Does Aaron Sanchez still have major league talent?
Sanchez, 33, was last heard from in the majors in 2022, when he put up a combined ERA of 6.60 for the Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins across 60 innings.
Since then, Sanchez has had stops with the Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Blue Jays, all of which have resulted in middling stats at Triple-A. In fact, the 2024 season was Sanchez's worst Triple-A performance yet (his most recent as well), with a 7.92 ERA in 61 1/3 innings for the Buffalo Bisons.
However, after taking the year off from pitching in affiliated ball, Sanchez went to the Dominican Republic to pitch for Toros del Este, and put up a 1.55 ERA in eight starts, spread across 46 1/3 innings. He only struck out 34 batters, so it's not as though he can be expected to dominate, but clearly, he made some meaningful adjustments.
Kansas City's rotation is one of its strengths, so Sanchez probably doesn't stand a great chance at the opening day rotation. If he accepts an assignment to Triple-A Omaha, though, one injury could put him in position to return to the majors.
Sanchez has had a good major league career to this point, with a 38-38 record and 4.16 ERA. But writing another chapter after three full seasons away from the big leagues would be highly impressive.
More MLB: Royals Sign 12-Year MLB Veteran to Compete for Bullpen Job
Jackson Roberts is a former Division III All-Region DH who now writes and talks about sports for a living. A Bay Area native and a graduate of Swarthmore College and the Newhouse School at Syracuse University, Jackson makes his home in North Jersey. He grew up rooting for the Red Sox, Patriots, and Warriors, and he recently added the Devils to his sports fandom mosaic. For all business/marketing inquiries regarding "Kansas City Royals On SI," please reach out to Scott Neville: scott@wtfsports.org
Follow jrobertsbsbl