Blue Jays’ Former All-Star Join AL Contender After Award Recognition

The Toronto Blue Jays endured a significant loss this offseason but, overall, they have supplemented a roster that reached Game 7 of the World Series last year.

The Blue Jays have parted ways with longtime shortstop Bo Bichette and will be turning to Andres Gimenez to fill in as they shuffle their infield. The team will also rely on newly signed Japanese star Kazuma Okamoto as an infield utility option in Bichette’s absence.

And the Blue Jays fortified their pitching staff with several new players, including Dylan Cease, Cody Ponce and Tyler Rogers. All in all, the team seems poised to return next year as a favorite to claim a consecutive American League pennant.

“The Blue Jays, after failed pursuits for top players in recent years, have been the most aggressive team in free agency, committing $337 million to Cease, Ponce, Rogers and Okamoto, fresh off going to Game 7 of the World Series,” Jorge Castillo wrote for ESPN. “They could contend for another AL pennant with their current roster.”

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Those additions, particularly to the big-league club’s pitching staff, could explain why the Blue Jays were content to watch a former top draft pick and former All-Star join an American League rival.

“Right-hander Aaron Sanchez and the Kansas City Royals are in agreement on a minor-league contract,” FanSided’s Robert Murray reported. “The deal includes an invitation to spring training.”

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Murray added that Sanchez will receive $1.35 million if he is promoted to the majors, which seems like a worthy price to pay for his upside. Sanchez was a first round pick for the Blue Jays in 2010 and he quickly made good on that promise, posting an All-Star season for Toronto in 2016.

But a harsh regression and injuries saw him shipped off to the Houston Astros in 2019. He has been out of the majors since 2022 and has bounced around the minor leagues, rejoining the Blue Jays’ system for 2024. But now he has enjoyed a bit of a reemergence in the Dominican Winter League, recently earning the league’s Pitcher of the Year Award with a 1.55 ERA across eight total starts.

“The 33-year-old set his sights on a comeback effort this winter though and more than earned a look with a big league club while pitching in the Dominican Winter League,” Steve Adams wrote for MLB Trade Rumors. “The Royals have a strong rotation, but clubs are always on the hunt for low-cost starting pitching depth.”