"It's an opportunity for him," Royals general manager Dayton Moore said by phone. "You never know. We'll see."
That 2013 season capped an incredible downward spiral for Sanchez, whose best season came in '10 with the Giants when he logged 193 1/3 innings, went 13-9 and posted a 3.07 ERA. Sanchez was money down the stretch that season, going 5-2 in his final seven games with a 1.03 ERA for the eventual World Series champions.
In 2009, Sanchez no-hit the Padres in a no-walk, 11-strikeout game.
That obvious talent was enough for the Royals to ship outfielder Melky Cabrera to the Giants for Sanchez and left-hander Ryan Verdugo in the 2011 offseason.