The Twins’ Anibal Sanchez Signing Has Me Concerned

Image Credit: Rick Osentoski - USA Today Sports

Image Credit: Rick Osentoski – USA Today Sports



Minnesota baseball fans have been expressing their desire for the Twins to bolster their 2018 pitching rotation. Your wish is the Pohlads’ command.

It has been announced that the Paul Molitor managed ball-club agreed to terms with the soon to be 34 year-old Anibal Sanchez.

If you didn’t catch the sarcasm in the earlier “Your wish is the Pohlad’s command” line, all of the outs we have in this deal should make that attempt at humor evident. My passive-aggressive approach is nothing personal against the former Marlin and Tiger, as a person. No, no no. It’s just that the Venezuelan native’s stats from the last three seasons are, to be politically correct, piss poor:

Over those 415 2/3 innings, Sanchez has registered an ERA of 5.67. For comparison purposes, Detroit’s 5.36 team ERA was the worst in the majors, last year. Our newest acquisition was a member of that very staff. Funny how that works…

To give the right-hander some credit, he was lights-out in 2013. That season, his 2.57 ERA over 182 innings was good enough to finish fourth in the Cy Young voting. If, and that’s a very legitimate if, Sanchez makes the opening day roster, let’s hope he can accumulate an ERA closer to that of five years ago, rather than last year’s 6.41.

The Vikings just leaned on a bargain bin right-hander they acquired during last summer’s offseason. Who’s to say Minnesota’s baseball team won’t have their own version of Case Keenum? Like throwing money on the Twins to win the World Series, my heart is in the right place. With that said, DO NOT hold your breath on that absurd scenario.

Falvey and Levine, whether it be via free agent or trade, are very much exploring their options on acquiring a different, higher-valued starting arm. Naturally, that’s a wonderful idea! If they weren’t, I’d be smashing the proverbial panic button.

Since we’re not at that stage, the adjective I’d use surrounding Friday’s signing, would be concerned. The concern being that Lance Lynn and Alex Cobb will get eaten up by other teams, no trade will be made, and Sanchez ends up making the opening day roster. From there, the past-his-prime pitcher, gets absolutely rocked in his team debut. We’re only in the first week of April and Twins Nation goes managerial-style psycho.

 

Only time will tell. Who knows? Maybe my currently aggressive caffeine levels are causing an overreaction.

On the bright side of things, we are only one move away from having ourselves a new ace:

Johnny Minnesota @TheJohnnyMN
Minnesota Sports Fan MinnesotaSportsFan.com

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