The reaction to today's Tribune article was another grimace from Cub fans.
The Chicago Cubs are one of several teams interested in signing free agent left-hander Jonathan Sanchez.
The Cubs envision Sanchez as a reliever, according to a source.
Several other teams interested in Sanchez prefer to employ him as a
starter -- a role that Sanchez has performed for most of his career.
Sanchez has limited left-handed batters to a .218 batting average.
Sanchez, 31, threw a
no-hitter in 2009 and won 13 games for the Giants in 2010 but has been
hampered by control problems. Sanchez has pitched for the Rockies,
Royals and Pirates.
After going 0-3 with an 11.85 ERA in five starts for the Pirates, Sanchez was released and signed with the Dodgers.
Sanchez was 7-3 with a 5.13 ERA in 14 starts for Triple-A
Albuquerque, where his fastball was clocked at 95 mph, according to a
National League scout.
The problem with this is not the report itself, but what the Cubs are reportedly trying to do. It is another example of the Cubs sifting through other team's trash to find a diamond in the crud. Sanchez has not pitched well in four seasons. What makes the Cubs the magical pitching turnaround machine? I'm sorry: Chris Bosio is no Dave Duncan. Sanchez failed with the Pirates, and spend last year in AAA with a 5.13 ERA! That's really bad against inferior hitting prospects.
It is yet another example that the Cubs have no intention of fielding a full, competent major league roster in 2014 if the big off-season target is Jonathan Sanchez.
