Why the St. Louis Cardinals should consider Aaron Sanchez

The St Louis Cardinals have plenty of starting pitchers, but not too many who are healthy. It’s why they should consider signing Aaron Sanchez.

Even with Jack Flaherty off the injured list, even with J.A. Happ performing well and even with Adam Wainwright pitching like he’s in his 20s, not his late 30s, the St. Louis Cardinals could still use more starting pitching.

That’s the predicament they find themselves in with Miles Mikolas, Kwang Hyun Kim and Wade LeBlanc on the injured list. Of course, both Mikolas and LeBlanc are expected to return soon, though Kim’s timeframe is more uncertain considering we don’t know exactly what kind of elbow injury he’s dealing with.

The Cardinals, however, are not able to make a trade, which complicates matters. They (wisely) passed on Jake Arrieta. But they should consider right-hander Aaron Sanchez, who was recently designated for assignment and released by the San Francisco Giants.

Sanchez, 29, has talent. He’s a former top prospect and when he’s been healthy, has pitched very well, posting a 3.06 ERA in seven starts with the Giants. But that’s the problem: staying healthy. He had an extensive injury history before this season and has missed nearly three months this year with right biceps tendinitis and a blister issue. It’s why the San Diego Padres, who are desperate for starting pitchers, chose Arrieta over Sanchez.

At this stage of their careers, Sanchez is the superior pitcher. It’s not close. But his injury history scared teams off. That said, if there is any team that can take a chance on a player with Sanchez’s injury history, it’s the Cardinals. They have a surplus of options, which means they won’t need Sanchez to be a starter every fifth day. If he struggles, they can release him and go to any one of Mikolas, Lester, Kim or LeBlanc. If he does well, and the Cardinals have all of their starters healthy, he could be an option out of the bullpen.

There’s essentially no risk in signing Sanchez, who will command a veteran’s minimum deal, and come off the books after the season. The Padres passed on him. That doesn’t mean the Cardinals have to.