March 19, 2012; Jupiter FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) against the Houston Astros during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

If you ever watch MLB Network or Baseball Tonight, the analysts have high praise for the Marlins starting rotation. They love to talk about Josh Johnson and the only thing holding him back from being a top 5 pitchers is his health, they love talking about Mark Buehrle and his consistency, they love talking about Ricky Nolasco and his unpredictable pitching, and they love talking about Carlos Zambrano‘s temper.

Notice any Marlins pitcher that was left out of there? I notice this every time. Anibal Sanchez has posted back-to-back strong seasons and is still denied the attention he has earned.

Several times, the analysts on these shows have talked about the 2013 starting pitching free agent class, a name they fail to mention is Sanchez’s.

As I mentioned in my season preview for Anibal Sanchez, the Marlins also have shown the same lack of respect for Anibal as well. Proof of this includes that he has not received a contract extension offer from the Marlins. Adding on to that, they have named Sanchez the number 5 starer, when he clearly is the Marlins second best pitcher.

Here is a look at Sanchez’s numbers the past two seasons:

In those past two seasons, Sanchez has posted an FIP of 3.33, which is the 17th best FIP in that span in all of baseball. That is ahead of pitchers like Cole Hamels, David Price,  Chris Carpenter, and Ubaldo Jimenez. That is some impressive company for Sanchez to be ahead of the past two seasons. Cole Hamels, by the way, is one of the pitchers part of the 2013 starting pitching free agent class.

Also, taking a look at WAR, Sanchez has posted a WAR of 8.2, the 19th best WAR in the past two seasons. This is ahead of Ian Kennedy, Mat Latos, and Edwin Jackson. It is also only .5 behind Hamels, and .8 behind Matt Cain, who also is a free agent in 2013.

What do all these numbers say about Sanchez? You surely should not get Sanchez confused with an elite level pitcher, such as Roy Halladay, but these numbers do prove that Sanchez is either a low tier ace, or a high end number 2 pitcher.

Here is the list of pitchers that will hit the open market in 2013:

• Matt Cain (28)
• Zack Greinke (28)
• Cole Hamels (29)
• Edwin Jackson (29)
• Francisco Liriano (29)
• Anibal Sanchez (29)
• Shaun Marcum (31)
• Jonathan Sanchez (30)

The 2013 free agent starting pitching class provides a lot more options, and better ones, then the 2012 starting pitching class did. Cole Hamels and Matt Cain will obviously be the cream of the crop of these pitchers. But where does Anibal Sanchez fit into this class?

Anibal is clearly not on the same level as Hamels, Cain, or Greinke, as they have been posting similar numbers for a longer period of time. The past two seasons, though, Sanchez has shown that when he is healthy, he can be amongst these names in terms of pitching. If he were in a market bigger then the Marlins have been the past few seasons, a lot more people would be noticing Sanchez and what he brings.

If Sanchez has a strong 2012 season and the Marlins decide not to resign to a free agent contract after the season, and the Marlins are unable to add Hamels or Cain, the Marlins pitching staff in 2012 and beyond will be weakened.

March 19, 2012; Jupiter FL, USA; Miami Marlins starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (left) talks with catcher Brett Hayes (right) in the first inning against the Houston Astros during a spring training game at Roger Dean Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-US PRESSWIRE

I hope I opened up some eyes on Anibal Sanchez and his importance to the Miami Marlins and their playoff chances in 2012 and beyond. He may not be an elite level pitcher, but he is a strong pitcher that is hard to come by these days. The Marlins need him to have a strong season for them to make the playoffs. Then they need to make him a strong offer, otherwise, the Marlins will then have to learn the hard way, that Anibal Sanchez is currently the most underrated pitcher in baseball.

I think the only thing the Marlins can honestly get back for Dan Uggla is assets worth about $10M in surplus value. That equates to about a Top 75-100 prospect, which matches up nicely with someone like Travis d’Arnaud.

With the catching depth the Blue Jays, they can likely afford to trade from an area of strength to acquire a big bat like Uggla’s. If the Jays opt for trading one of their surplus starting pitchers, the Marlins would also be interested.

While Brett Cecil would be the most intriguing name given his left-handed status, he’s likely to provide too much value for the Jays to trade away. Shaun Marcum would be a more realistic offer, but the Marlins would be less likely to take Marcum because of his arbitration status.

A left-hander like Cecil or Marc Rzepczynski along with low minors filler would be enough for the Marlins if we were being realistic. Unfortunately, I think the Marlins are valuing Dan Uggla a bit more than that.

You’ll recognize that those are some of the names that I brought up a few days ago when discussing the possible suitors for Uggla’s services. I honestly think that, if the Marlins were serious in an offer for Uggla, these are the sort of names they would be considering. In addition to the names mentioned, Ian threw in Brad Mills, who ranked 10th in the 2010 preseason top 20 for the Jays according to John Sickels.

All these names seem pretty interesting, and I figured it may be worth looking into a few of them and seeing what kind of value they would bring to the Marlins in any sort of Uggla deal. We’ll break them down into a look at the prospects and the pitchers.

(more…)

Here was the list of suitors Rosenthal listed for Uggla’s services:

- Tigers. In need of a second baseman and additional power, they recently contacted the Marlins to express interest in Uggla, sources say.

- Nationals. They, too, have shown interest in Uggla, according to sources. Nationals GM Mike Rizzo, in a previous job as the Diamondbacks’ scouting director, selected Uggla in the 11th round of the 2001 draft. Uggla could help replace the power that the Nats will lose if free-agent first baseman Adam Dunn departs for another club.

- Braves. Fredi Gonzalez, previously with the Marlins, is the Braves’ new manager. The Braves in the past have viewed Uggla as an option at third. They currently are unsettled at the position with Chipper Jones attempting a comeback from major knee surgery.

- Blue Jays. The Jays are in contact with the Marlins. Uggla could fill a void at third base, and the Jays are again willing to spend for the right players. They also have shown a willingness to carry potential free agents with the idea of collecting draft picks if those players sign with other clubs.

- Red Sox. The Sox briefly showed interest in Uggla last off-season as a potential replacement for free-agent left fielder Jason Bay. This time, Uggla would be no more than a secondary option in either left or at third. The Sox will focus on free agents such as Carl Crawford, Jayson Werth and Adrian Beltre first.

- Giants. The left side of their infield is unsettled, but at this point the Giants intend Pablo Sandoval to be their third baseman. The club talked about acquiring Uggla to play third last off-season, but have yet to renew contact with the Marlins, a source said.

- Orioles. They have discussed Uggla internally, sources say, but not to the extent that they did last season, when they considered him an option at third base. Josh Bell, acquired from the Dodgers in July 2009, now looms as the heir apparent at that position.

- Cardinals. While the Cardinals are seeking an upgrade at second, they are more likely to pursue a free agent such as Orlando Hudson or a versatile infielder such as Juan Uribe or Miguel Tejada. They have not spoken to the Marlins about Uggla.

That’s quite a list of teams, but only a few are of any real interest to the Fish. A couple of these teams (the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves) are within the Marlins’ own division and are unlikely to be trade partners for a player as good as Uggla. The San Francisco Giants, Boston Red Sox, and Baltimore Orioles are unlikely to be realistic names for trade partners this season given their current infield situation. The only two teams who I believe can acquire Uggla from the Marlins are the Detroit Tigers and Toronto Blue Jays, given both their needs and their interesting names in the farm system. I’ll delve a little bit into a few names from either team.

(more…)