Pirates Prospects has learned that the Pittsburgh Pirates have re-signed right-handed pitchers Casey Sadler and Angel Sanchez to a minor league contracts. Both missed all of 2016 while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
The Pirates signed both Sadler and Sanchez as a minor league free agent this past off-season, just days after releasing them. They did it knowing they would miss the entire season and become a free agents again at the end of the year. Sadler and Sanchez spent the entire year rehabbing at Pirate City.
The 26-year-old Sadler has made two brief appearances with the Pirates, pitching six games in relief in 2014, and making one spot start in 2015. He made 13 starts for Indianapolis in 2015 and pitched well early on, before really struggling at the end, which ended up with him being shutdown in early June, before having his Tommy John surgery after the season ended.
Sanchez is also 26 years old (27 in November) and he too had his Tommy John surgery late in the season, leading to him missing all of 2016. He had a breakout year in 2015, posting a 2.69 ERA in 137.1 innings split between Altoona and Indianapolis. The Pirates picked him up off waivers on July 31, 2014.
Both pitchers should compete for jobs with Indianapolis next year, with a chance to add depth for the Pirates later in the season. They will likely be somewhat limited in their work, since neither was able to get in any innings this season, still out of action as the Fall Instructional League came to a close last weekend. They should both be ready to go when Spring Training opens up.
**In other minor news, Curtis Partch, Phil Coke, Jorge Rondon and Trey Haley all elected free agency. Not a big deal on any of these, they had an option to become minor league free agents a month earlier and took that route. Also, infielder Tyler Filliben was released earlier this month. The 24-year-old, 12th round pick from 2014, spent his second full season at West Virginia, where he had a .490 OPS in 221 at-bats, and filled in at 2B/3B/SS.
