Tigers Resign Sanchez, 5-yrs, $80 mil

Photo credit: mlive.com

So the Tigers finally did what I've been calling for all offseason and dipped into the well and spent the big bucks.  Only one problem... It wasn't spent very wisely.  But that's just my in my humble, unintelligent, mildly-uninformed, certainly-not-professional opinion.

Anibal Sanchez has resigned with the Tigers for 5 years, $80 million total, that's roughly $16 mil per year.  This is even higher than I figured he would get on the open market (I guestimated $60-70 mil, Cubs apparently offered $75 mil)

Sanchez is a pretty talented pitcher.  He's got solid stuff and he's not that old.  But I have a few issues with this deal...

1. His numbers aren't $16 mil-per good.  He's got a 48-51 career record with a 3.75 ERA and 733 strikeouts in 869 innings over seven seasons.  Okay... Good even, but not great.  He went 4-6 with a 3.74 ERA with the Tigers.  ERA is solid.  What impressed me is the 1.77 ERA in the postseason.  He's got good stuff, it's not like we spent $80 mil on a bust, but I don't think he's shown nearly enough consistency to earn that kind of cash
2. Career NL pitcher.  All those numbers, except with the Tigers, are against the notoriously worse hitting National League.  Yes, we have a sample size that indicates he could hold his own against AL teams, but I wasn't $80 mil worth sold on it.  5 years is a long time, and in seven years he's put up solid numbers from a crap team, but it was also in a crap league.  It's a big risk
3. Long-Term, big money for a fourth starter.  I love bolstering a starting rotation as much as the next guy, in fact when I learned the Tigers were after Shields I nearly did a backflip for excitement, (Go ahead, debate me on whether he's worth the prospects we would have lost, I'll repeat my stance on prospects all day.) But here's my issue.  James Shields would have cost prospects yes, but his contract is A) Cheaper B)Riddled with options to get out of it f it doesn't work C) Not committed too long term.  Anibal is a Tiger for five years.  And his contracts bigger than the one JV signed three years ago, which brings me to my next point
4. Sanchez makes more than Verlander.  We have set a precedent that we will not be able to afford. Kiss Mad Max, or Twisted Fister, or even Verlander good-bye when it comes payday time.  Maybe one of them was going have to leave regardless, or want to leave, but just imagine the amount of money it's going to keep Verlander long term.  If Sanchez gets $16 mil per, what's JV worth?

If I were running the team, which God knows I am certainly not qualified and I am just a ranting raving fan who is as illinformed as everyone else that's not a GM, scout, owner, etc, I would have gone after a shorter-term option.  Well before signing a starter, I would have gotten a closer, but after that, I would have looked at the guys like Ryan Dempster, Edwin Jackson, Scott Baker, Dan Haren would have definitely been worth the one-year flyer in my book.

However, I will be the first to admit, I believe Sanchez is better pitcher than all of them.  So this signing does fit the win now motif.  And since I'm always a ray of positive energy, you guys know that :)  I shall end the negativity and share with you all what I do like about the deal.

1. Win now, win often.  Ilitch wants it, I want it, you want it, Detroit wants it.  Go get the best available (that doesn't hamper the futures of stars JV and Miggy) and bring in a ring.  Make it happen
2. Opens window on Porcello/Smyly trade.  Stop it.  Before you even say it, stop it.  One of them has to be traded now.  We are a win now team.  One can be our 5th starter, and the other can go get us a closer or a new shortstop.  Porcello has been around long enough to know that this is as good as he's gonna get.  People seem to think that a low age number just means they're going to keep magically getting better and better, drastically better.  It happens in guys, usually with guys that haven't been around the majors as long as Ricky P.  He hasn't gotten worse, hasn't gotten much better.  It's time to trade him.  We missed our chances at getting Halladay because we were buying what Ricky P was selling (See why I hate people who value potential over talent now?  Will Ricky P ever be Roy? Hell no.)  So why not hook up with the Pirates, who have a closer they want to move and a rotation that needs another starter.  It was a match made in heaven.
3. Best rotation in the AL, possibly majors.  Any rotation with Verlander will always be in contention.  But with four guys with as good as stuff as our four have, it's no doubt who will be feared when the playoffs roll around.

So that ended up being a lot longer than I wanted to be.  But I bullet pointed the important stuff :)  Bottom line, I don't think Sanchez is $80 mil good.  I know when we win the World Series, everyone (in particular one person, you know who you are) will be bringing this up, calling me stupid.  But when Verlander walks and goes to the Yankees, we all lose in the end.

Good pitcher, Ilitch win-now signing, but is it a wise commitment?  We'll see.

For some more positivity and a blogger much more reputable then me cuz he kinda also is a sports radio host, here's some linkage to a guy I enjoy listening to, Jeff Riger