ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After the 2019 season, when the Tampa Bay Rays were unable to find a 40-man roster spot for Cristopher Sánchez, the Phillies liked him enough to work out a trade.
There was a lot to like.
For one thing, Sánchez stood 6-foot-5. For another, he threw left-handed. And then there was the fastball that reached 97-98 mph and occasionally scraped 100. As then-general manager Matt Klentak put it, relaying the sentiments of his scouts, “We’re excited about him.”
