Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez struck out 17 hitters in eight innings against the Atlanta Braves Friday night. Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Striking out 17 batters in eight innings Friday night against the Atlanta Braves was an extraordinary showing by Detroit Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez. Not generally known as a strikeout whiz, Sanchez put up one eye-popping number there. And that was without throwing a complete game.

If Sanchez lived at any other time in the history of baseball, there’s no way he would have been lifted by manager Jim Leyland without a chance to pitch the ninth and hurl a complete game in the 10-0 victory. Although there were certainly no guarantees that Sanchez would strike out all three batters in the ninth to tie the Major League record it’s kind of annoying that he wasn’t given a shot at trying or just finishing out a five-hit shutout.

Not that Sanchez cared, either. Starters these days have no commitment to complete games so he was indifferent that he was taken out because of a pitch count of 121. With that lead it wasn’t as if he was going to blow the game.

Sitting in the stands watching a game like that unfold where you are not tallying the number of strikeouts, but only forming a general impression, it doesn’t take long to start thinking that everyone is striking out. A couple of guys each inning here and a couple of guys each inning there, and pretty soon it kind of dawns on you that a whole bunch of Ks are going into the scorebook.

When a starting pitcher is so dominant he is just punching out every batter it’s a treat for the fans. Sanchez,3-1 on the season, was money Friday night. The right-hander set a Tiger team record for strikeouts in a game, eclipsing Mickey Lolich by one. He also became a rare pitcher to strike out so many hitters in eight innings–Randy Johnson once struck out 18 in eight innings.

It is a nine-inning game, however, and the context of a full game is how records are usually viewed. Through the course of history there have been three 20-strikeout games in nine innings. Two were authored by Roger Clemens and one by Kerry Wood.

There should be an asterisk in there for an additional game, though. In 2001, while pitching for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Randy Johnson struck out 20 men in nine innings, but it wasn’t a complete game. The game went on for two more innings. Don’t know why that should matter, but apparently Major League baseball does, because it is listed separately.

In the group with 19 strikeouts you find Johnson (twice), Nolan Ryan, Steve Carlton, David Cone, Tom Seaver and two 1880s guys, Hugh Daily and Charlie Sweeney.

Ben Sheets, Clemens, Johnson, Ryan, Ramon Marinez, Bill Gullickson, Ron Guidry, Don Wilson, Sandy Koufax (twice), Bob Feller, and two 1880s guys, Henry Porter and Dupee Shaw, all struck out 18 in a nine-inning game.

That’s the list of all of the pitchers in baseball history who bettered Sanchez’s effort in a regular, nine-inning game. It’s a pretty short list and one thing to chew on is that a spectator attending the game at Comerica Park had a better chance of seeing a no-hitter than a pitcher fan 17 batters in eight innings.

It should be noted also that throughout history, when no one cared about pitch counts, but only how a guy was actually doing on the mound, that a certain number of times high strikeout totals were registered in extra innings.

The all-time, single-game Major League record for strikeouts in a game including extra innings was posted by the Washington Senators’ Tom Cheney in 1962 when he struck out 21 while pitching 16 innings.

Luis Tiant and Nolan Ryan (three times) struck out 19 in an extra-inning game.

Too late to squeeze out that one more inning from Sanchez, but he was looking pretty good Friday, both in the context of the sport’s history, and the company he joined, so it would have been special to see how many more Ks he might have picked off in the ninth.

Aug 13, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA: Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) delivers a pitch in the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

On Thursday, reports surfaced that the Chicago Cubs had all but signed free agent right hander Anibal Sanchez to a five-year, $75 million contract. Instead of the deal getting done, however, Sanchez gave his former club, the Tigers, a final chance to match Chicago’s offer.

Though the Cubs eventually bumped their offer to $77.5 million, it ultimately wasn’t enough to get Sanchez out of Motown, who agreed to a new five-year, $80 million deal.

$16 million per year seems like a lot of money for a guy who has never thrown 200 innings in a season and who owns a losing record in his seven big league seasons. Of course, while it’s true that he’s never thrown 200 innings, Sanchez has thrown at least 195 innings in each of the past three years and has a career ERA of 3.75. He’ll be turning just 29 before Opening Day, so this is a guy very much in the prime of his career.

The Tigers have been adamant that Sanchez was the only starting pitcher they were interested in signing following a season when they acquired him from the Marlins. Though he struggled initially in Detroit, Sanchez pitched very well down the stretch aand threw 20 innings in the playoffs with an ERA just over one.

Sanchez falls into the middle of Detroit’s rotation and probably means the Tigers will look to trade one of their extra starters. In all likelihood, that guy is right hander Rick Porcello. Southpaw Drew Smyly would round out a rotation that also features Justin Verlander, Doug Fister, and Max Scherzer.

Mandatory Credit: H. Darr Beiser-USA TODAY Sports

Sanchez, 28, is arguably the top pitcher remaining on the free agent market with Greinke out of the way, and is reportedly looking for a deal worth around $90 million over six years. Obviously, all of this is speculation, but the Dodgers have proven not to be worried about anything related to finances, so it’s not at all an impossible development. However, Bowden did go on to state that he felt confident the team would work something out with Ryu.

While Sanchez is not up to Zack Greinke’s standards, he could be a very good consolation prize for a team who missed out on Greinke, or simply a cheaper alternative for those who weren’t willing to pay for Greinke’s services. The former Marlin and Tiger has now posted three consecutive seasons of very consistent 4.0 WAR range production, and as he’s still in his prime, this is a reasonable expectation for the next handful of seasons as well.

The right-hander from Venezuela has come a long way as a pitcher since making headlines for throwing a no-hitter in his rookie season, and is now a very solid option near the top of the rotation for just about any team in baseball, even if he has yet to establish himself as a true number one starter. It’s possible he still has a new level of performance to reach in the coming seasons, but even if he merely levels off instead, he’s still a relatively safe investment — as safe as any pitcher can be, anyway.

Can’t get enough of Spencer? Check out his work at StanGraphs and follow him on Twitter at @shendricks221.

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Shields has terrific endurance, but he is an overrated pitcher who has more downside than upside at this stage. He’s still a solid pitcher, but he’s more of a No. 2 than a No. 1 starter, and I don’t think he’s being viewed like that by the Rays at this point in time. He would be a good addition to the Royals staff for sure, but not at the price of Myers and a couple of more prospects. That is far too much, especially considering Myers is the best pure hitting prospect in baseball and of high value to the Royals.

The Royals could still acquire Shields if the Rays lower their asking price, and Passan did not rule out a future move by stating “for now”, so things could open up for both sides in the future. Shields was a high target for Kansas City.

Passan also tweeted that the Royals “are not in the Anibal Sanchez market”, which he notes is at around five years and over $70 million. That’s far too expensive for any teams taste, especially the Royals. Signing Sanchez at this stage isn’t a risk worth taking, so credit KC for saying “no” to this one.

This comes as a conflicting source to what Jon Paul Morosi said yesterday about Sanchez being the the Royals top target, so there is the possibility that the Royals get back in the race for both pitchers. But at this point, it looks like no deals will be made due to two high asking prices despite the talent of both pitchers and the upgrade they would give to this team.

You can follow Joe Soriano on Twitter @SorianoJoe.

September 25, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Tigers starting pitcher Anibal Sanchez (19) pitches during the first inning against the Kansas City Royals at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Instead of trading for a guy like James Shields or R.A. Dickey, both of whom has been tied to the Royals this week, it may behoove GM Dayton Moore to focus on the free agent market instead. While a guy like Shields and Dickey will cost at least one hitter and then you have to pay them upward of $10 million per year, signing a guy off the open market will cost only money. Potentially more money than a starter brought in via trade, but they’d still have control of all of their young hitters as well.

According to Jon Morosi, the Royals have set their sights on one of the biggest fish on the market in right hander Anibal Sanchez.

Sanchez is said to be seeking a contract of at least six years and many reports have an average annual value of at least $15 million year. Ordinarily that would be far too rich for the blood of the Royals, but Moore and the rest of the KC brass feel like this is the time for them to strike and try to build a pitching staff to match the firepower of their young and talented lineup. The Royals have also shown interest in Ryan Dempster.

It’s doubtful that any team will want to offer Sanchez six years, but word has been floating that at least one team has offered five to the former Detroit Tiger. It is unclear whether the Royals are a team that would offer such a deal, but it wouldn’t be unheard of. This is the same franchise, after all, that gave a five year contract to Gil Meche several years ago.

Should the Royals add Sanchez, the move would simultaneously strengthen their team while weakening the rotation of the Tigers, thereby helping to close the gap between the two clubs. Detroit would still have superior pitching, but a rotation that begins with Sanchez, Jeremy Guthrie, and the recently acquired Ervin Santana is considerably more stout than the one the Royals ran out there in 2012.

#angels, understanding price will be too rich for greinke, are looking at anibal and lohse.

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2012

Oct 17, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Kyle Lohse (26) throws to a San Francisco Giants batter during the first inning of game three of the 2012 NLCS at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dilip Vishwanat/Pool Photo via USA TODAY Sports

With the Dodgers and their unlimited payroll in the mix for Greinke, the Angels were a long shot to keep their prized free agent. It could be, however, that the price on fellow right handers Anibal Sanchez and Kyle Lohse aren’t exactly appealing either.

Sanchez is reportedly looking for six years and $15 million per year and while we haven’t heard the kind of demands Lohse may have, his numbers stack up beautifully versus those of Greinke, especially over the past two seasons when it’s been Lohse, not Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright, that has been the ace of the St. Louis staff.

The Angels would love to be able to seal a contract with either of these two before Greinke signs, but that’s unlikely to happen. Once Greinke gets his deal, and it could be record-setting, the three or four teams that had been chasing him and miss out will probably all turn to the likes of Lohse and Sanchez for their plan-B, which will only drive up prices on both starters.

Remember, it’s not just the Dodgers who suddenly have new money. Every team in the league is getting twice as much in national television revenue now as well. There is money there for every club that didn’t exist before. Just because a team hasn’t traditionally spent no longer means they cannot.

The trickle-down effect won’t stop there, either. Ryan Demspter become a more attractive option as the names come off the board, as does the idea of trading for a starter such as Gavin Floyd of the White Sox or James Shields or others from Tampa Bay.

Greinke not only holds the keys to his own future, but also the fortunes of the rest of the starting pitching market. The way things look, there could be quite a few guys getting paid a lot more than most people will think those guys are worth.

Welcome to the new economics of baseball.

Oct 13, 2012; Bronx, NY, USA; Detroit Tigers pitcher Anibal Sanchez speaks at a press conference before game one of the 2012 ALCS against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

According to Jon Heyman, the Tigers efforts to re-sign starter Anibal Sanchez have not been met with enthusiasm by Sanchez and his agent.

#tigers a few weeks ago offered anibal sanchez $48M, 4 yrs. Agent told them that offer would insult anibal. Seeks 90M/6

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 3, 2012

Sanchez is looking for a longer and much more expensive deal and he’ll likely get it. Once Zack Greinke signs, Sanchez will be the premier name on the starting pitching market and one of the traditional big spenders (Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Dodgers) will likely have lots of money to spend and a huge hole to fill.

History says that the Tigers would be willing to add money to the deal for Sanchez, but I am hesitant to think they’d go to six years for any pitcher not named Justin Verlander. GM Dave Dombrowski has said previously that if they cannot keep Sanchez they liely would not pursue another starter.

UPDATE: According to Tigers MLB.com beat writer Jason Beck:

#Tigers still talking with agent for Anibal Sanchez. Source says 4-yr, $48 million offer not accurate.

— Jason Beck (@beckjason) December 3, 2012

Not because either of them had an interest in Kuroda, though the Angels were said to have at least inquired on the Japanese right hander, but because Kuroda was the top target of the Los Angels Dodgers. With Kuroda off the market, the Dodgers will turn their attentions to Zack Greinke and Anibal Sanchez.

September 30, 2012; Arlington, TX, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Zack Greinke (23) throws to the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington. Mandatory Credit: Jim Cowsert-US PRESSWIRE

The Angels have made no secret their desire to re-sign Greinke, even going so far as to jettison both Ervin Santana and Dan Haren in order to free up money to lure Greinke. Detroit has made retaining Sanchez a priority this off-season as well and have said that if they miss out on him, they would not pursue another starter.

While the Angels and Tigers both boast payrolls near the top of baseball, neither team would be willing to compete with the money the Dodgers are able and willing to throw at any player they desire. With Kuroda gone, Dodger GM Ned Colletti is likely to turn his attention to the top two right handers left on the market and that spells trouble for anyone else looking to sign them.

Kuroda settled for a one-year deal from the Yankees because he wanted the flexibility to return to Japan after the season. He signed for $15 million when he probably could have gotten an extra million or two to play in Los Angeles. But Kuroda, at age 38, has a specific plan for the end of his major league career; he’s not your typical free agent.

Pitchers like Greinke and Sanchez will be looking not only for a chance to win, but for the most money and longest contract they can find. A Southern California location probably wouldn’t hurt, either. Greinke is already familiar with greater Los Angeles and knows the media one faces there; a concern often voiced by the Bostons and New Yorks of the world when Greinke’s name comes up. “He can’t handle a large market,” they say. He seemed to do just fine with the Angels last season when he went 6-2 with a 3.53 ERA in 13 starts after being traded from Milwaukee.

Like Greinke, Sanchez was a mid-season trade from the National League when he went from Miami to Detroit at the deadline. Sanchez took a few starts to get acclimated to the new surroundings, but pitched to a 2.15 ERA over the season’s final eight starts. If the Tigers miss out on Sanchez, GM Dave Dombrowski says they’ll move ahead with Rick Porcello and Drew Smyly in their rotation. Signing Sanchez would probably prompt a trade of Porcello.

The Angels have a much more desperate situation in their rotation. If they miss out on Greinke, they have just three starters under contract and one of them, Garrett Richards, has been working in relief. Even with Greinke, they’d probably still need to sign another starter.

The Dodgers are the new version of the late-90s Yankees. They’re willing to out-spend the league in order to get what they want. When the dust settles, I expect either Greinke or Sanchez to wind up wearing Dodger blue and then the Angels had better pounce on whichever one is left.

The only thing that seems certain is that starting pitchers at every level of the free agent market stand to benefit from a bidding war at the top.

According to Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald, they are.

According to an industry insider, the Dodgers are the favorites to wind up with top free agent starter Zack Greinke, with the Angels and Rangers on the outside looking in.

Greinke is the biggest fish in the starting pitcher pond. Image: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Earlier this month, we had heard that the Dodgers weren’t serious players for Greinke, and that their top targets were Hiroki Kuroda and Anibal Sanchez. If Silverman’s source is to be believed, the Dodgers have shifted their philosophy. Perhaps, and this is just me speculating here, the thinking was that if Sanchez was going to ask for $15 million per year at six or seven years, they may be smarter in offering a shorter contract to Greinke, but at a significantly higher average annual value.

The Dodgers are known to want to re-unite with Kuroda, whose story seems to change weekly. Originally we heard he only wanted to pitch in New York or he was going back to Japan, which is what he had said about LA in 2011 before signing with the Yankees. Then we heard he was open to the Dodgers or Yankees, now the word is he prefers to pitch in Southern California, which brings the Angels into play. The one constant in this discussion is that Boston, who is known to be pursuing the right hander, doesn’t seem to be on Kuroda’s radar at all.

If things continue the way they have for Kuroda, that almost has to make the Red Sox the favorites to sign him, right?

But seriously, if the Dodgers do wind up with the top starting pitcher on the market, the Angels are in serious trouble. They jettisoned both Dan Haren and Ervin Santana in order to clear enough payroll space to keep Greinke. Sure, that money could be used to sign someone like Kuroda or Sanchez instead, but either pitcher would have to feel like a let down, no matter their talent level. Jerry Dipoto entered the off-season with one goal and that was to re-sign Greinke. To lose him would bade enough, to lose him to the Dodgers, who are re-staking their claim to the precious LA market they ceded to the Angels during the McCourt era, would be extra hard to swallow.

When the Greinke deal gets done, no matter what team it’s with, the market for the rest of the starters (Ryan Dempster, Brandon McCarthy, etc.) will be better defined. So too will the trade markets for guys like James Shields, Jeremy Hellickson, Matt Garza, and however many of the Dodgers’ spare parts get tossed onto the market.

The Dodgers are the real wild card here. In the eyes of many pundits, Greinke was going back to Anaheim, Sanchez to Detroit, and Kuroda possibly to the Dodgers. That would have left the third-tier guys to be divvied up between the Yankees, Rangers, and Red Sox; all of which need at least one starter.

In a game of musical chairs, there are fewer front-end starters available than teams that desire them. When the seats begin to be filled, clubs had better act quickly and aggressively or be left without a chair.

In November of 2009, Detroit traded away Curtis Granderson and Edwin Jackson, they watched as second baseman Placido Polanco and closer Fernando Rodney left as free agents. The club at that time, according to president and GM Dave Dombrowski, needed to make some adjustments to the payroll structure to allow them to compete going forward. Not only did those moves free up considerable finances, but it allowed the Tigers to get younger by adding Austin Jackson, Max Scherzer, and Phil Coke – all cost controlled players.

Ilitch continues to invest in his team an places winning above profit. Image: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Of course, those players are now into their arbitration years, but they aren’t the only expenses going up for the Tigers. Since Dombrowski made those adjustments, he’s spent a healthy dose of owner Mike Ilitch’s money. The Tigers are operating like a club that prioritizes winning over all else, including profitability. Need someone to protect your superstar in the lineup? Go get a $13 million per year DH. That DH gets hurt working out in December? Here’s $214 million for a new free agent first baseman. Make it to the World Series only to get swept? Spend another $26 million on a new right fielder.

When the deal was done with Torii Hunter, Ilitch turned to his baseball people and had one question: “Where do we stand with (Anibal) Sanchez?” He’s not done spending.

This, of course, is great news for Sanchez, who needs a bit of a bidding war if he’s going to get the kind of money he’s been seeking; reportedly six to seven years and $90-100 million. Most clubs will look at those figures and laugh, but Sanchez isn’t marketing himself to those clubs. Instead, he’s drawing interest from the Dodgers, Tigers, and Red Sox – three of the biggest budgets in the game.

The Tigers, with the addition of Hunter and expected raises to arbitration-eligible players, will already boast a payroll above $140 million for next year, which will be the highest in team history. If the Tigers are able to sign Sanchez, that’s another $15 million on top. Sure, there are ways to trim some of the fat. Trading a starter like Rick Porcello would make sense if they re-sign Sanchez, and that would free up roughly $6 million. There have been rumors the Tigers would look to move shortstop Jhonny Peralta, also making $6 million, but that only happens if they can upgrade the position. Upgrades usually mean bigger investment dollars as well.

There are a couple of factors at work in Detroit. The first is the new national television contracts, which will basically double the TV revenue for every team. Those new contracts alone will pay 90% of the tab for Hunter and Sanchez. The second, and biggest, factor for the Tigers is Ilitch’s desire for a World Championship at any cost.

He’s in his 80s. The clock is ticking. The time for the Tigers to win is now. So, the man who is worth billions will spend another dozen or so million.

It’s a stark and refreshing contrast to the situation in Miami, where Jeffrey Loria has placed profitability ahead of winning at every opportunity.