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This Week in Blue Jays: What the Aaron Sanchez Decision Says About the Jays

The Aaron Sanchez debate has finally been put to rest.

After months of insisting that their young all-star would at some point be transitioned to the bullpen in order to avoid an unprecedented increase in his workload – reiterated by both president Mark Shapiro and general manager Ross Atkins earlier this week – the Jays announced on Thursday that the Cy Young candidate would remain in the rotation for the foreseeable future. The acquisition of Francisco Liriano on Monday’s trade deadline provided the flexibility to roll with a six-man rotation, which will reduce Sanchez’s total remaining starts by two. If he is skipped once or twice and has his innings limited from start to start, it is possible that he could pitch into the postseason while reaching only 200 innings. The beauty of the decision lies not just in the fact that it keeps Sanchez starting, but it provides a very fluid option, one that can go in a number of different directions should the need arise.

One can debate the inconclusive science related to pitcher workload, or how similar situations with other players have been dealt with, or the merits of a six-man rotation. “Evidence” exists to support either side in each of those debates. What is more interesting to me is what it took to arrive at this decision, and what it says about both this front office and clubhouse.

When Shapiro first came to Toronto, he said takes a collaborative approach to running an organization, and although the decision of how to manage Aaron Sanchez rested solely with management, it appears he stayed true to his stated philosophy. Let’s be honest here. The plan to move Sanchez to the bullpen in order to avoid a potentially harmful increase in workload was a noble one, based on risk-assessment and erring on the side of caution. Sanchez, unfortunately, was handled delicately by the organization during his development, and thus it is incumbent upon the organization to balance the risk with the reward of ramping up his workload. Given his performance this season and the fact that the Jays are once again poised to play in October, one could argue that the sending Sanchez to the bullpen for the remainder of the season was the more difficult choice. Shapiro and Atkins were attempting to put the long-term health of Sanchez first, and while I believe the science did not support their logic and, admittedly, would have been unhappy had they moved him to the bullpen, as a business move, I understood it.

The greatest obstacle, however, was that seemingly no one in that clubhouse supported the decision. From Marco Estrada to Josh Donaldson to Sanchez himself, the dissent was becoming louder and much more public. Undoubtedly, when Russell Martin expressed his unequivocal disapproval of the plan to transition Sanchez to the bullpen, he represented the other 24 men on the team, each of whom has a stake in the success of this year’s team. When it became clear on Wednesday that even manager John Gibbons was not on board with the plan, Atkins flew to Houston to speak with Sanchez, Gibbons and pitching coach Pete Walker in an attempt to arrive at a mutually agreeable decision, subsequently announcing later that day the plan to keep Sanchez in the rotation.

There are three things here that are critical. The first is that Sanchez was directly involved in the decision. From the moment he arrived at spring training having packed on 20 pounds of muscle he made clear his intent on being a starter. And, man, has his season been special. His American League-leading ERA puts him in squarely in the Cy Young conversation, and his insistence that he feels good (plus the fact that he has not yet shown signs of fatigue) deserved to be taken into consideration. The team has the tools to monitor the stress on Sanchez’s arm; they’ve been employing them all season. Given the imperfect science of increasing a pitcher’s workload and the varied results scattered around the MLB, a tailored, individualized approach is not only the most logical, but also on the leading-edge.

Second, the decision to use a six-man rotation could not have happened without the buy-in of the other starters.  Marco Estrada and his back may benefit from the additional rest, and one might argue that Marcus Stroman would do anything to help his best friend remain in the rotation. However, starters are notoriously creatures of habit. Both Estrada and J.A. Happ, who is on pace for twenty wins this season, are also Cy Young candidates, and a disruption to their routine is not insignificant. Even the newest member of the team, Francisco Liriano, had input, and his unselfish offer to do whatever it took, including pitching out of the bullpen if necessary, presented the front office with viable options that allowed them to view the situation differently.

This is not the first time individual players have put their own self-interest well behind the team’s best interests this season. When the team was struggling offensively through the first few months of the season, Jose Bautista, after brainstorming with Russell Martin and others, suggested he hit lead-off to jump-start the offense, despite the fact that doing so would limit his RBI production and thus could impact the quality of free-agent contract he’s offered at the end of this season. We’ve heard in the past about malcontents in the clubhouse; this is clearly a team that is all on the same page.

Finally, this decision represents a willingness on the part of the front office to take a step back rather than digging in their heels, involving all stakeholders in such a pivotal decision. This management style suggests both flexibility and transparency. Moreover, the option to use a six-man rotation would not have been possible had front office not made the deadline acquisitions that they did – moves which required the team to take on payroll, indicating that the entire organization is committed to winning now.

The decision on how to best manage Sanchez was one being heavily scrutinized by not just the Jays and their fan base, but by major league baseball as a whole. The manner in which the Jays handled this situation would help guide what other teams would do when faced with a similar scenario. No one wants to put a young pitcher at risk for injury; equally, no one wants to give their team less of a chance to win. As Ross Atkins stated, “It wasn’t really about being right…but let’s try to get it right.”

For what it’s worth, I think they did.

Quick Hits:

  •  With all the discussion about Sanchez recently, it is worth remembering that the entire starting rotation will be counted upon to perform down the stretch. One of the wild cards thus far has been Marcus Stroman, who’s not-so-great May and abysmal June left him looking for answers. Stroman altered his delivery a bit, moving his hands and changing his release point, while also varying his pitches. What is most interesting, however, is that he learned these adjustments from David Price.
  • Did you know that Benoit holds the MLB record for the longest save, with a seven-inning relief appearance?Trade deadlines often shake up a team and new acquisitions are thrown into the mix without skipping a beat. Meet the newest Jays: Melvin Upton Jr., Joaquin Benoit, Scott Feldman and Francisco Liriano.
  • Let’s not forget about Danny Barnes, who made his impressive major league debut in Houston during which he featured a beauty of a changeup to help nail down a 2-1 victory. A Princeton graduate who wrote his thesis on the economics of free agency, the former 35th-round draft pick, had an ERA of 0.84 with a 0.51 WHIP in 53.1 innings at double-A and triple-A before his call-up last Tuesday. There’s no telling how long he’ll remain with the big club, but there’s no doubt that he’s caught everyone’s attention.
  • In a post-game interview on Wednesday, Sportsnet reporter Barry Davis asked Josh Donaldson what he thought of the new-look Jays. Josh’s response, “We like our team, Barry,”
  • And, finally. Though he’s become an very valuable member of the bullpen, Joe Biagini’s pitching has been nearly overshadowed by his quirky interviews. Whether you find his sense of humour endearing or irritating, if you brush aside the jokes his actual answers are typically quite thoughtful. His latest interview is my personal favourite.

Lead Photo: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

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1 comment on “This Week in Blue Jays: What the Aaron Sanchez Decision Says About the Jays”

Adrock

Great article. This decision, and the way it was made, have been far and away the most encouraging signs I have seen from Shapiro and Atkins.

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