Report: Sanchez To Bullpen, Boyd Likely To Rotation
By: Will Burchfield
@burchie_kid
When it came down to it, the Tigers made a baseball decision -- not a business one.
Anibal Sanchez and his $16.8 million salary will start the season in the bullpen, per the Free Press, signaling that 26-year-old Matt Boyd has won the battle for the fifth spot in the starting rotation.
It was suggested in recent days that the Tigers could send Boyd to Triple-A Toledo to begin the season. But his impressive performance in spring training was apparently too much to ignore. The southpaw has posted a 2.49 ERA and 21 strikeouts (no walks) over 21 2/3 innings.
If Boyd indeed assumes the fifth spot in the rotation, he'll make his season debut on April 8 versus the Red Sox.
The decision to send Sanchez to the bullpen comes as a mild surprise given the way the right-hander has rebounded toward the end of spring training. His rejuvenation, brought on by a tweak in his arm slot, had some believing the Tigers would give him a spot in the rotation on a prove-it basis.
Instead, he is headed for a long-relief role.
If Sanchez' bullpen assignment bodes well for Boyd, it could spell the end for Mike Pelfrey. It doesn't make sense for the Tigers to keep both Sanchez and Pelfrey on the roster as long relievers, particularly with the two veterans due a combined $24.8 million in 2017.
Per the Free Press, the Tigers have offered Pelfrey to at least one team and were willing to eat the remainder of his salary. The 33-year-old righty, in the final year of a two-year, $16 million contract, was 4-10 with a 5.07 ERA in 2016.
