Toronto Blue Jays manager John Schneider explained why the ballclub decided to cut outfielder Jesus Sanchez from the team’s roster.
The Blue Jays announced on Friday that Sanchez was designated for assignment after less than one full year with the team, after they acquired him from the Houston Astros in exchange for fellow outfielder Joey Loperfido.
Given Sanchez’s terrible defense and league-average bat, the DFA didn’t exactly come as a surprise. Still, it’s always good to know exactly what went into the team’s thinking when they release a player.
John Schneider Explains Jesus Sanchez DFA
Speaking to “Blair & Barker,” Schneider explained why the team DFA’d Sanchez.
“We wanted him to be better defensively. We wanted some more home runs, some more slug. When you’re looking at the whole potential profile, it’s an outfielder who can slug a little bit. We were missing that from him, and obviously from some others, too. But you’re trying to take the whole equation into the picture,” Schneider said.
Blue Jays manager John Schneider joins @SNJeffBlair and Kevin Barker to break down what went into the decision to DFA Jesús Sánchez.
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Jesus Sanchez Was a Big Disappointment in Toronto
When the Blue Jays picked up Sanchez earlier in the year from the Astros, the hope was that he would provide a bit of thump from the corner outfield spots while also at least holding his own defensively.
However, Sanchez was absolutely atrocious with his glove, as he was the second-worst outfielder in all of baseball according to OAA; he was graded at -8 in the outfield, only ahead of the Athletics’ Lawrence Butler, who is at -9.
Offensively, Sanchez was essentially league average, as his 101 OPS+ indicated he was just 1% better than the average MLB player. He did have 8 home runs, but it simply wasn’t enough to offset the horrible outfield defense that he brought to the team.
As for what’s next for Sanchez, he’s unlikely to be claimed given how late it is in the season and given his $6.8 million salary for the 2026 season, but he should still find a home with another team this offseason, though he may have to settle for a buy-low contract after enduring such a brutal year north of the border this year.
John Schneider Explains Why Blue Jays Cut Jesus Sanchez