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Former Blue Jay Aaron Sanchez signs minor league deal with Royals
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Photo credit: © Kevin Sousa-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Jan 28, 2026, 16:00 ESTUpdated: Jan 28, 2026, 16:10 EST
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Former Toronto Blue Jay Aaron Sanchez has found a new home.
According to FanSided’s Robert Murray, Sanchez has signed a minor league deal with the Kansas City Royals, with the usual invitation to Spring Training.
Sanchez is remembered for the potential he had when the Blue Jays selected him 34th overall in the 2010 draft. After a few seasons in the minor leagues, the right-handed pitcher made his big league debut in 2014 as a 21-year-old, throwing 33 innings out of the bullpen and finishing with a 1.09 ERA and 2.80 FIP.
The following season saw Sanchez post a 3.22 ERA and 4.61 FIP in 92.1 innings pitched, starting 11 of the 41 games he appeared in. During the postseason, Sanchez threw seven and one-third scoreless innings, as batters mustered just seven hits and two walks off the righty.
To this point, Sanchez’s magnum opus was his 2016 season. Over 30 starts, the then 23-year-old had a 3 ERA and 3.55 FIP in 192 innings pitched, with 20.4 K% and 8 BB%. Although pitcher wins were essentially irrelevant by 2016, Sanchez had won 15 games and lost just two for a win-loss percentage of .882. Moreover, his 3 ERA was the best in the American League, earning him an All-Star Game appearance and Cy Young votes.
Unfortunately, it was downhill for Sanchez beginning in 2017. Blisters derailed that season, as he pitched in just eight games that season. Over 20 outings in 2018, Sanchez had a 4.89 ERA and 4.74 FIP in 105 innings, a far cry from his terrific 2016 season. After 23 games with the Jays in 2019 which saw him post a 6.07 ERA and 5.02 FIP, Sanchez was traded to the Houston Astros alongside Joe Biagini and Cal Stevenson for Derek Fisher. Make of that what you will.
In their first game with the Astros, both Sanchez and Biagini took part in a combined no-hitter. However, Sanchez made just four starts with the Astros before injuries. Since then, he’s thrown 95.1 innings in the big leagues with the San Francisco Giants (2021), Washington National (2022), and Minnesota Twins (2022).
His most recent action in the minor leagues was with the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, the Buffalo Bisons, in 2024. Over 14 starts, the righty had a 7.92 ERA and 7.29 FIP in 61.1 innings pitched. That said, Sanchez had a terrific Dominican Winter League, throwing 46.1 innings with a 1.55 FIP, along with a 19.1 K% and 5 BB%, winning the league’s Pitcher of the Year award. His strong performance landed him a spot on Team Mexico’s World Baseball Classic team this coming March.
Hopefully, the 33-year-old righty can make his way back to the big leagues after a strong recent few months.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, Oilersnation, and FlamesNation. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.

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