Three Free Agent Pitchers Worth a Look
Big name pitchers like Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg are signing mega contracts for piles of cash. They are among the best pitchers in the game. But no one talks about the free agent pitchers who have talent but can’t seem to stay healthy or can’t pitch consistently well.
There are three free agent pitchers worth a look by major league teams who could strike gold if they can’t just put it all together. These three free agent pitchers are all under 30 years old and still have some prime years ahead of them.
As Major League teams are filling out their rosters the only open spots would be in the bullpen. This makes it a real possibility for all of these pitchers to sign minor league contracts.
Aaron Sanchez
Blue Jays Career
Aaron Sanchez was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the 34th overall pick in the 2010 Major League Draft. Sanchez made his Major League debut in 2014. In 2016 Sanchez had a 15-2 record with a 3.00 ERA and a 1.167 WHIP. Sanchez was named to his first all-star team and placed seventh in the Cy Young voting. The Blue Jays thought they could have their ace of the future in Sanchez. In 2017 Sanchez had all kinds of problems with blisters on his pitching hand and made only eight starts. The next season Sanchez continued to have issues with his pitching hand but did manage to start 20 games.
Traded to Astros
In 2019 Sanchez was so bad going 3-14 with a 6.07 ERA that the Blue Jays decided to trade him away to the Houston Astros. At just 27 years old the Blue Jays decided Sanchez no longer had a future on their young team. Sanchez was part of a trade with the Astros for prospect Derek Fisher.
The Astros who have had a good recent run of turning around struggling pitchers were excited to get their hands on Sanchez. This did not work well for both parties. Sanchez was placed on the injured list in late August with soreness in his right pectoral. He never pitched for the Astros again. Sanchez had season-ending surgery to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder marking the first time he has had a major arm injury. The Astros released Sanchez shortly after the season.
Sanchez might not be ready to pitch in 2020 but he can be signed to a minor league contract at a very low salary. At just 27 years old Sanchez could be a sleeper for the 2021 season.
Taijuan Walker
Taijuan Walker was drafted 43rd in the 2010 Major League Draft by the Seattle Mariners. Walker ranked no worse than the fourth-best prospect in the Mariners farm system. For his career with the Mariners, Walker went 22-22 with a 4.18 ERA. In 357 innings pitched Walker had a WHIP of 1.213 and 322 strikeouts. Outside of a couple of stints on the injured list, Walker made 82 starts across three seasons. After the 2016 season, Walker was traded with Ketel Marte to the Diamondbacks for a package headlined by Jean Segura.
Snake Bit
Walker’s Diamondbacks career has been a disaster. But it didn’t start that way. In 2017 Walker missed three weeks with a blister in his right index finger. Despite that Walker went 9-9 with a 3.49 ERA and a 1.328 WHIP. The next two seasons Walker only made four starts and pitched 14 innings. In April of 2018, Walker had Tommy John surgery. As he was nearing a return this past May Walker experienced shoulder issues. He was out for much of the season.
Walker was able to pitch one inning in 2019 on the last day of the season. The Diamondbacks did not re-sign Walker making him a free agent. He could be signed by a major league team to pitch out of the bullpen. But if Walker wants to be a starting pitcher his best bet would be in the minors and working his way back to the majors. Walker is still young enough to become a good pitcher but it might have to be out of the bullpen.
Shelby Miller
Shelby Miller was the 19th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2009 Major League Draft. Miller received a huge signing bonus of 2.875 million dollars with the Red Birds and decided not to attend Texas A&M. Miller immediately became the Cardinals top prospect. But he was among the best prospects in all of baseball ranking no lower than 50 in any of his four seasons in the minors. When he finally made his major league debut at the end of the 2012 season, Miller was the sixth-ranked prospect.
In four minor league seasons, Miller went 29-21 with a 3.73 ERA and a WHIP of 1.277. Miller was really good in his three seasons as a Cardinal. His record was 26-18 with a 3.33 ERA and a 1.230 WHIP. Despite his success, Miller was traded to the Atlanta Braves with Tyrell Jenkins for Jason Heyward and Jordan Walden. Miller pitched well in his one season in Atalanta. Despite his 6-17 record Miller’s ERA was 3.02 and his WHIP was 1.247. The run support he received from his Braves teammates was 2.6 runs per game. This contributed to his bad record but Miller still made his only all-star appearance of his career.
Heading to the Desert
Despite his success in his first season in Atlanta, Miller was traded for the second straight year. The Braves sent Miller and Gabe Speier to the Diamondbacks for Dansby Swanson, Ender Inciarte, and Aaron Blair. Miller’s first season in Arizona was not a good one. Due to a right index finger injury, Miller missed about a month and also was demoted to Triple-A for almost two months. Miller went 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA in the 2016 season.
In 2017 the injuries really started to hit Miller. In late April, Miller went on the injured list with a partially torn UCL and a strained flexor. Miller would need Tommy John surgery ending his 2017 season. Miller made his 2018 debut in June but only lasted four starts before he would once again miss the rest of the season. The Diamondbacks released Miller after the 2018 season capping one of the worst trades in recent baseball history.
Looking For Work
The Texas Rangers signed Miller and in 2019 he appeared in 19 games with eight as a starter. Miller only pitched 44 innings and had an ERA of 8.59. After the Rangers released Miller on July 4th, the Milwaukee Brewers signed him to a minor league contract. Miller only pitched 32 innings in the minors with the Brewers before he was released once again.
Miller’s was a really good pitcher early on in his career. When he was traded to Arizona was where the wheels came off. But if the talent is still there Miller could be worth signing to a minor league contract. It would most likely be a one year contract and Miller could be called up to make a spot start if and when a starting pitcher inevitably gets hurt on the main roster.
