Toronto Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez to the Pen?
By Vinnie
There are pros and cons for moving Aaron Sanchez to the pen but ultimately, he’s pitched too well as a starter for the Toronto Blue Jays.
There is a huge question for the Toronto Blue Jays that has yet to be answered and everyone has their speculative reasoning in response to the question: Should Aaron Sanchez be moved to the bullpen?
As a starter, Sanchez has not only been arguably the best starter for the Jays, along with Marco Estrada, but he’s been one of the best starters in the American League. He currently holds the fourth-best ERA in the AL, at 2.97.
From the team’s perspective, when you look at the starting rotation that includes Estrada, J.A. Happ, Marcus Stroman, R.A. Dickey and Sanchez himself, you can’t help but expect to win every ball game. The Jays may very well hold the best starting rotation in the American League and they are now 11 games over .500. so why mess with a good thing?
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Well, some may say the pen is in dire need of a reliever and how can anyone disagree? The bullpen has had their share of struggles when it comes to finding a shut ’em down, set-up guy.
Roberto Osuna has been incredible for the Jays and has been going under the radar, as it’s just expected for him to close a game out. However it’s the seventh and eighth inning set-up guys that makes fans nervous.
It appears to be better as of late, but who really feels comfortable when it’s a one-run ball game and the starter gets pulled in the seventh, with two on and one away? Brett Cecil was that guy for the Jays last year and since returning from injury, he’s looked a bit more like that player, but he’s still far from what’s needed if they intend on making it further into the postseason than last year.
Joe Biagini, Jesse Chavez and Bo Schultz are the Blue Jays top relievers when it comes to ERA, but they have yet to prove they can be relied upon. Chavez has looked better in July over three appearances, but he is far from proving he’s consistent.
Biagini can be stretched out to more than one inning of relief, but has allowed 6 over his last 7.1 innings pitched. Shultz looks like he could be that guy statistically with his 2.35 ERA and 1.04 whip, but has only pitched 7.2 innings since returning on June 26th.
So with the relief staff looking for a shut ’em down guy, Sanchez looks to fit the profile perfectly. The 24-year old was also on an unofficial pitch restriction this season, so it can be argued he should move to the pen for that reason, in addition to the team’s needs.
What it really comes down to in my opinion is the following questions: What can the Jays get in a trade? Are Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins even looking to improve the team for a deep playoff run or are they going to be sellers come trade deadline in order to replenish their farm system?
Can they get a legitimate starter who can be relied upon every game, or can they get a reliever who will shut their opponents down? The Jays should really be looking to boost their bullpen, because it appears to be the last piece of the puzzle for the squad to be legitimate champions.
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Sanchez has been just way too good to just move him to the pen without an appropriate replacement. He’s arguably a top five starting pitcher in the AL this season, so it appears to be rather comical to move him to the pen at this point.