Anibal Sanchez is looking for a six-year contract worth around $90MM, reports FOX Sports' Jon Paul Morosi. It's a large price tag but it's certainly a realistic one for the 28-year-old given the number of teams interested in his services this winter, especially since those suitors include big-market teams like the Tigers, Dodgers, Red Sox and Blue Jays.
Morosi compares the $15MM average annual value of Sanchez's demand to that of C.J. Wilson, who signed a five-year, $77.5MM contract with the Angels last offseason. It's possible that a team could match Wilson's contract in guaranteed money for Sanchez over five years and then make that sixth year either a team option or a vesting option.
Then again, the presence of the free-spending Dodgers in the mix could be the X-factor. Sanchez and Hiroki Kuroda are the Dodgers' top pitching targets on the free agent market, reports CBS Sports' Jon Heyman. L.A. has shown no hesitation to make big salary commitments under their new ownership group, so it's very possible they could freeze out other teams by guaranteeing a sixth year to Sanchez.
MLBTR's Tim Dierkes ranked Sanchez as the fourth-best overall free agent on the market this winter, and the second-best pitcher, behind No. 1 choice Zack Greinke.