MLB Rumors: Does Anibal Sanchez Really Expect $90 Million?

Anibal Sanchez is hoping to cash in on a strong postseason performance with the Detroit Tigers this offseason. When I say cash in, I really mean cash in. Big time. As in $90 million over six years. Really? For Sanchez? We are talking about a starting pitcher who boasts a career record of three games under .500 with an ERA in the upper three’s. Serviceable, certainly. But $90 million? That is C.J. Wilson money from a year ago, as far as roughly $15 million per season. If he gets what he wants in all, he will make more than Wilson over the life of the contract. While I never put as much stock into Wilson as other people – mainly the Los Angeles Angels – did last offseason, he clearly had a better track record than Sanchez. But, like was the case with Wilson last winter, there is not a lot of other available starting pitching on the open market this offseason. That allows a pitcher such as Sanchez to benefit from less competition. And he is sure hoping to benefit. I need to make it clear that I do not believe Sanchez is a bad pitcher. Like I said, he is serviceable. Clearly, he was in a rough spot with the Miami Marlins, as he posted decent numbers but never received the run support necessary to win many games. But we are also talking about a pitcher who threw the ball so poorly at times that he was demoted to the minor leagues as recently as 2009. He has finished over .500 just twice in his big league career, and has been a bit up and down in terms of health and overall consistency. Does that sound like a $90 million pitcher to you? Overall in 2012, Sanchez went 9-13 with a 3.86 ERA. That takes into account 19 starts with the Marlins before finishing his final 12 starts with the Tigers. He was 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA in Miami, followed by a mark of 4-6 with a 3.74 ERA in Detroit. Granted, Sanchez did go 1-2 with a 1.77 ERA in the postseason, but can we even count his numbers against the New York Yankees? I’m pretty sure that I still could have gone seven or eight innings and allowed just a run or two against that lineup these playoffs. We are talking about a pitcher with a career record of 48-51. His career ERA is 3.75 in the majors. He is best suited as a No. 3 or perhaps even a No. 4 starter with many teams. He is not a No. 1 or No. 2 type of starter, yet that is the type of money he is seeking this offseason. And, with many pitching starved teams out there, he is likely to get it somewhere. I just feel that team will be making a big mistake.   The post MLB Rumors: Does Anibal Sanchez Really Expect $90 Million? appeared first on Hardball Chat Baseball Blog.