But that doesn't do anything for the issue at hand. To 'pen him or not to 'pen him? That has been the question. But now the question has changed to something much more simple: how long will he last? Baseball has seen pitchers like Nolan Ryan pitch 235 pitches in one game, but kids like Steven Strasburg require major surgery after barely getting into his career. Baseball is and always has been full of enigmas, which doesn't help the Aaron Sanchez debate. All things considered, no one knows what will happen with Aaron Sanchez...not even Aaron Sanchez.
Nevertheless, if the potential Cy Young award candidate is not going to be pitching in the World Series, the Jays need to be prepared now, and that's a certainty. Most pitchers who have pitched 200+ innings have at least pushed it to 180-190 before they hit the bicentennial mark. Sanchez is sitting at a career high of 133. To almost double that doesn't just seem reckless, it is reckless. It's like regularly taking a puppy for 6 hour long hikes through peaks, valleys and scree; that puppy may be a great hiking partner and probably loves every minute of it beginning with the moment you put your leg through your hiking pants, but eventually that puppy is, not only going to cost you a tonne in vet bills because of its messed up hips and legs, but it won't be able to make those 6 hour long trips with you anymore. Sanchez, at 24 and never pitching anything close to a full season (let alone playoffs on top of that), needs to be broken in.
So while the Jays have time, it seems logical, if not prudent and necessary, to prepare. If you can't count on having Sanchez in the World Series but you need him to get there, then you simply aren't good enough to win the World Series. So why not provide yourself with a few options while testing the limits of Aaron Sanchez's arm? Meanwhile, with the extra rest, Marco Estrada's back is dancing with joy like the grey-haired's do in Voltaren commercials and Dickey's arm gets thrown onto the roulette wheel that much less. Its really a winning situation for all involved.
So all in all, the Blue Jays brass come out of this situation looking pretty intelligent instead of looking bullish and pigheaded and pissing everyone off, which is what they seemed to be doing literally hours before this announcement. Sure, maybe they look a little wish-washy and indecisive, but to be clear, they never at any point, put a specific number on Sanchez, they've simply said he wouldn't pitch 230 innings. Just because they did a 180 to do what everyone wanted them to do, doesn't mean they should be crucified for it.
In fact, for a rookie GM, Atkins has done a wise thing: he talked to his players and staff and made a decision based on the information he had. He then had the courage to publicly say he's done a 180 and then make a change. Slow clap. That takes kahunas. Just when all of Toronto is about to march at your gate with pitchforks and torches, you suddenly walk out amongst the frothing masses in your sweats and smily-face T to say, "oh, ok, that's what you want...sure, let's do that."
But let's be honest, no one including Ross Atkins and Mark Shapiro, wanted to lose Aaron Sanchez. It has become clear the guy is an ace of David Price proportions...any terrible GM or President would want him in the rotation, and despite how much Toronto wanted to hate Atkins and Shapiro, they don't seem to be terrible. Blue Jays fans are now begrudgingly being forced to come around to this new regime. They did after all, decide not to take away fans' awesome new toy, Aaron Sanchez, they just minimized the amount of time fans get to see this wonderful toy. Almost like a Kindergarten teacher wanting to make the new toys last the entire year...they only get brought out sometimes. Quite simply, Sanchez needs to be in the rotation for years to come. A rotation with Sanchez and Stroman at the helm, in addition to Estrada and Happ (for as long as they remain under contract), could have the makings of multiple championships, not just one. Because wasn't the repeat in '93 almost better?
So now, everyone is happy. The clubhouse is thrilled because they get to keep one of the best pitchers in the big leagues in their rotation and can puff their chests out a little more when they step on the field. Fans are beyond relieved as they don't want to go through the pain of losing David Price all over again, and the media is pumped because they can now continue to postulate on Sanchez's untested arm for months to come. But management is the most thrilled of all; not only do they look incredibly responsible and mindful of the situation, but they can now protect all 5 of their starting pitchers to provide even fresher arms in October. Heads up to the rest of the big leagues. If Francisco Liriano turns it around, watch out. The Blue Jays will be some crazy tough beefed up birds to take down.
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