Blue Jays prioritizing winning in Sanchez debate
Former three-time All-Star and theScore MLB contributor Vernon Wells weighs in on the latest development in the Aaron Sanchez debate. The following is a conversation with theScore's Dan Toman.
If the Toronto Blue Jays are serious about contending for a World Series this year, Aaron Sanchez needs to be pitching. Period.
The Blue Jays know that and it's why the club announced Thursday it will move to a six-man rotation to accommodate Sanchez and his limited supply of innings. It was the latest turn in the back-and-forth debate over whether Sanchez should start, go to the bullpen, or be shut down entirely.
For now it looks like Sanchez will stay in the rotation, with the club prepared to be creative down the stretch to keep him there through September. The Blue Jays already talked about the 220-inning threshold, so it still sounds possible they'll move him to the bullpen in October. Either way, Toronto can't afford to shut him down.
No one can truly say what will or won't hurt Sanchez, so the only thing to worry about is winning. When it comes to October, all bets are off - innings included.
And that's where a six-man rotation helps a team like the Blue Jays, who can outscore anybody when one of their starters struggle. This is a good move by an offensive club with solid pitching depth that can now keep young arms like Sanchez and Marcus Stroman a bit more fresh down the stretch. That's another underrated element of the six-man switch - Stroman, so important during last year's run, will benefit from having those extra bullets in October.
The fact that the Blue Jays even have the luxury of managing Sanchez and Stroman starts in September while they chase a playoff spot is a testament to the years J.A. Happ and Marco Estrada are having. Without their success, there would be even more pressure to pitch Sanchez.
As for all the flip flopping, give Mark Shapiro and Ross Atkins credit for keeping an open mind throughout the process. It's not easy trying to balance a city's title aspirations with a pitcher's elbow ligament, especially when your 24-year-old All-Star is the one who wants to shoulder the significantly higher workload (Sanchez could end up 100 innings over his career high if he pitches in the playoffs).
Sanchez, my preseason pick for breakout pitcher of the year, has hurled his way into the AL Cy Young conversation. Can you imagine the team fighting for a playoff berth without him on the mound?
For a debate with so many questions, and too few answers, the Blue Jays found common ground on something everyone can agree on: winning.