Not to get people’s hopes up but a bit better tone out of Alex Anthopoulos with regards to potentially adding one of the better free agent arms.
-Free agent Anibal Sanchez is reportedly seeking $90MM over six years and that may still fit the Blue Jays‘ budget. GM Alex Anthopoulos says that the club could accommodate that kind of average annual value, according to Shi Davidi of Sportsnet (via Twitter). The club hasn’t talked about going beyond their current five-year limit on contracts, but Anthopoulos said that things can always change (Twitter link).
QUICK TAKE: Adding an arm like Sanchez would be a major coup, not only in terms of talent added but in the message it sends to the fans. Even if it is a slight overpay I don’t think it would be a bad investment.
-Meanwhile, Anthopoulos says that he can promise free agent pitcher Carlos Villanueva the 30 starts that he is seeking, Davidi tweets. The GM said that the club has never doubted Villanueva’s abilities, but has raised concerns about his durability in the past.
-An excellent piece at fangraphs about our new free agent infield acquisition Maicer Izturis, who was a definite tidy low cost pickup for the Blue Jays. I was really happy with this signing and I think he adds a much needed element to our infield, mainly one who can hit better than Kelly Johnson and Omar Vizquel.
–Daisuke Matsuzaka figures to have a number of suitors now that he comes with a lower price tag. Another guy who would be considered “Dumpster Diving” but probably not worth the ink on his contract at this stage.
AL Eastbound & Down 