Pirates release Angel Sanchez

The Pirates have released (sub. req’d) right-handed reliever Angel Sanchez. It appears they did this so he could sign to play in Korea.

The move is surprising. Sanchez returned from Tommy John surgery this year with a 95-96 mph fastball and pitched reasonably well in AAA despite some early bumps. Although his ERA (3.74) wasn’t great, his xFIP and K rate were better than Edgar Santana’s or Dovydas Neverauskas’. At the least, he did well enough for the team to add him to the roster and call him up in August. He had some gopher ball problems initially, which of course got him a ticket to Ciriacoville. I really don’t like this move, as Sanchez seems to have at least as much potential as Nik Turley or Sam Moll.

The Pirates also re-signed minor league infielder Alfredo Reyes, who’d become a free agent. Reyes is a good defensive player who can’t hit at all. He’ll be a backup for Altoona or Bradenton.