The Chicago Cubs seemed poised to sign free-agent pitcher Anibal Sanchez on Thursday afternoon, with reports surfacing that the two sides were close to a deal. However, it appeared that Sanchez was willing to give his former team, the Detroit Tigers, one more chance to one-up the Cubbies.
That’s exactly what the Tigers did, and on Friday, they reportedly came to terms on a new deal.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports that the Tigers have signed Sanchez to a five-year deal worth $80 million.
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The Tigers acquired Sanchez on July 23 on this past season, picking him up in a trade with the Miami Marlins. The 28-year-old right-hander went 4-6 with a 3.74 ERA in 12 starts with the Tigers. He finished the season with a 9-13 record and a 3.86 ERA.
Sanchez has just a 48-51 record for his career, but he did get that record after spending just about all of his career with the Marlins. He has a 3.75 career ERA, and has thrown at least 195 innings in each of his past three seasons.
CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman reports that the Red Sox were in on Sanchez, but Boston never went as high as the $80 million the Tigers offered. According to FOX’s Ken Rosenthal, the Cubs had offered Sanchez a five-year deal worth $77 million, but apparently the extra $3 million over the course of five years was enough.
