Right-hander Aaron Sanchez and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a minor-league contract, sources say. The deal includes an invitation to spring training.
Sanchez, 33, gets $1.35 million if he’s in the majors with the ability to earn more in incentives through games pitched. It also includes an assignment clause and release clauses on April 15 and May 15.
Aaron Sanchez could be a bargain for the Royals
Multiple teams expressed interest in Sanchez after a strong showing with the Toros del Este where he won the Dominican Winter League’s Pitcher of the Year award after sitting out last season. In eight starts (46.1 innings), he posted a 1.55 ERA, 34 strikeouts and nine walks.
Sanchez hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2022 where he threw in 15 games (10 starts) with the Washington Nationals and Minnesota Twins, posting a 6.60 ERA and 41 strikeouts across 60 innings. He’s since pitched in the minors with the Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and most recently the Toronto Blue Jays, the team that drafted him with the No. 34 pick in the 2010 MLB Draft.
Season | ERA |
|---|---|
2016 | 3.00 |
2017 | 4.25 |
2018 | 4.89 |
2019 | 5.89 |
2021 | 3.06 |
2022 | 6.60 |
Sanchez’s best season in Toronto came when he became a full-time starter in 2016, with an AL-leading 3.00 ERA across 30 starts. He was an All-Star and finished seventh in the American League Cy Young voting. He missed the majority of the 2017 season due to injury and struggled from 2018-2019 before being traded to the Houston Astros for outfielder Derek Fisher.
His most recent tenure with the Blue Jays was in Triple-A this past season, where he posted a 7.92 ERA and 41 strikeouts in 61.1 innings. He was determined to get back to the majors, went to the Dominican Republic to tweak different things and showcase himself to get back to the majors. And now Sanchez has the opportunity to do just that with the Royals.