While the Detroit Tigers outbid the Chicago Cubs and signed right-hander Anibal Sanchez to a five-year, $80 million deal, it will prove to be a blessing that the Cubs did not end up acquiring the 28-year-old.
Cubs fans have to be excited that chairman Tom Ricketts and team president Theo Epstein were active in their pursuit of Sanchez and that they nearly signed the biggest pitcher left on the market. However, they may also feel sick to their stomachs because Sanchez and his agent might have used the Cubs as leverage to get Sanchez a better deal to return to the Tigers—this year’s AL Champs.
It seems like this is a strategy the 101-loss Cubs may endure more from free agents and their agents to get them more money from a winning team.
Even though Cubs management felt Sanchez would have been a good fit for the team’s future plans, there are several reasons why it will be beneficial they did not acquire him. Let’s take a look at the reasons Sanchez didn’t need to become a Cub.