Toronto Blue Jays: Aaron Sanchez’s time with franchise comes to unfortunate end

The Toronto Blue Jays decided to part ways with Aaron Sanchez sending him to the Houston Astros in a trade that left people wondering why?

When you looked at the return from the Toronto Blue Jays got from the Aaron Sanchez trade you were probably wondering why the team seemed so eager to move him for what seems like an underwhelming return.

It wasn’t too long ago that Sanchez put up a 15-2 record with a 3.00 ERA in 2016 but he certainly struggled to find that form with blister issues plaguing him the past couple of seasons. There ups and downs this season and it started to look like he was figuring it out and now we will never know whether he could have been a part of the solution for Toronto.

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Blue Jays management clearly had a different viewpoint about Sanchez’s future seeing that he had one year left before free agency and it seemed like they weren’t confident in getting a deal done. No doubt, the Blue Jays probably weren’t too keen on offering him the sort of deal Scott Boras usually looks for with his clients especially starting pitchers with upside. It is just too much risk given his injury history.

This, however, does not explain the Blue Jays pretty much taking what seemed like pennies on the dollar for a pitcher who has been working hard to get back to pitching like he knows he can. In his last start, he set a franchise record with six-straight strikeouts and yet it seemed like the front office didn’t hold the same value in Sanchez then everyone else.

It is hard to believe the team was so interested in Derek Fisher they were willing to move Sanchez, Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson. For Houston, this trade was a no brainer considering they know how to get the most out of their pitching staff and Fisher was clearly expendable.

Not to devalue Fisher but considering what Sanchez can provide the Astros now and going into next season, you have to think the Blue Jays could have played harder ball. It seems rather unfortunate that there wasn’t more of a willingness to try and make Sanchez into a more valuable asset.

He certainly took the news well considering he has been with the Blue Jays since 2014 and was a big part of the 2015 and 2016 playoff runs. Like many of the players who were shipped out of town, they wanted nothing more than to be a part of the solution.

"“There are many things I’m proud of,” an emotional Sanchez told reporters after receiving the news. “One, to put the jersey on for an entire nation – I don’t think you really understand until you come up here and feel the love from coast to coast."

Now the pressure is on the new group of young pitchers coming through the system and on management to try and find capable starters who can elevate this team when the time comes to compete for a World Series.

The Astros are certainly a team the Blue Jays can try to emulate considering they have their core which they assembled through drafting and developing. Sometimes it’s also easier to bet on the players you have and try to build around them because established players are tough to replace with prospects.

All fans can hope is that the Blue Jays didn’t act too hastily when it came to trading him and that the deal doesn’t come back to bite them like previous trades have.

What are your thoughts on the Blue Jays trading Sanchez? Do you have a favourite moment from his time in Toronto? Let us know in the comments below.