Blue Jays name Aaron Sanchez starter, has innings limit

Aaron Sanchez forced the Toronto Blue Jays hand in spring training, but manager John Gibbons says he may eventually transition back to the bullpen

Logic at last. The Toronto Blue Jays named Aaron Sanchez their fifth starter on Monday, pushing veteran Gavin Floyd into a middle-relief role. 


Sanchez has thrown more spring innings than any other Blue Jays pitcher this spring training, earning a 1.35 ERA over 20.0 innings with 19 strikeouts and just three walks allowed. Floyd made a strong case of his own, but Sanchez was simply overwhelming.

The new variable being introduced is that Aaron Sanchez will not be in the rotation for the entire season. At least, that’s John Gibbons’ plan.

Innings limits can be a tricky thing, something we’ve recently seen turn controversial with Matt Harvey of the New York Mets and Stephen Strasburg of the Washington Nationals. With the option of pushing Sanchez back to the bullpen, though, it appears that there is some added flexibility.

Sanchez has pitched 133.0 professional innings in one season before, so it’s conceivable that the organization will push him to the 150-to-165 range after a smaller workload last year. There’s an argument to be made that the organization should be adaptive and rely more on feel as they go along, too, especially given the bulk Sanchez added this offseason to handle more innings.

Toronto would also have the option to skip several of Sanchez’s starts through the season, both keeping him fresh and stretching those innings through the full season. Then, come playoff time, he can be that first arm out of the bullpen (like David Price taking over for R.A. Dickey).

In other Blue Jays news, Drew Hutchison has been option to triple-A Buffalo. More details to follow today.