Former Detroit Tigers Ace Has Shown Interest in Miami Marlins Manager Job

A former Detroit Tigers ace has shown interest in coming back to the world of baseball to manage another one of his former squads.

According to Barry Jackson of Miami Herald, 16-year MLB veteran pitcher Anibal Sanchez has reached out to the Miami Marlins to tell them that he has interest in being the team’s next manager.

The Marlins and Skip Schumaker went their separate ways after just two seasons, with both parties wanting to go in different directions. Miami had an abysmal 62-100 record in 2024, with that record somehow not being representative of just how bad the season went.

Marlins president Peter Bendix is reportedly looking for a player with connections to team to be the next manager, making Sanchez someone that makes sense.

Before coming to the Tigers, Sanchez started his MLB career with Miami. He was an international signing out of Venezuela by the Boston Red Sox before the Marlins ended up acquiring him all the way back in 2005 which is where he would make his debut shortly after.

He was shaping up to be an elite middle-rotation guy as he worked a 3.75 ERA in seven years for Miami. The righty was never the flashiest player, as he didn’t strike batters out at a high rate, but was very efficient.

The best game of his career came as a Marlin as he pitched a no-hitter back in 2006.

Miami sent Sanchez to the Tigers along with Omar Infante in exchange for Jacob Turner, Rob Brantly, Brian Flynn and a draft selection ahead of the 2012 MLB trade deadline.

Detroit clearly came away on top in that deal given that both Sanchez and Infante played for a few seasons while none of the players they sent away ended up amounting to impactful MLB players.

Sanchez pitched for the Tigers all the way from late July 2012 through the 2017 season. His first few years with Detroit were electric before he started to trail off in the later years of his time there.

He never made an all-star game, but led the MLB with a 2.57 ERA back in 2013. Across his six seasons with the Tigers, he posted a 4.43 ERA with a WHIP of 1.229.

By the end of his time in Detroit, he was splitting time out of the bullpen and in the rotation and had a 6.41 ERA. He walked in free agency before reviving his career with the Atlanta Braves.

Even if the Marlins go in a different direction with their hiring decision, a pitcher that had such a long career could make sense as a manager somewhere.