As Pitchers and Catchers Report, Gary Sanchez Is Still Looking for Work

Gary Sanchez finally has a team… sort of. Last week, he was one of two catchers named to Team Dominican Republic’s roster for the 2023 World Baseball Classic, which gets underway next month. Meanwhile, although pitchers and catchers have reported to major league camps this week, Sanchez still doesn’t have a destination, as he remains a free agent.

By our count, Sanchez is one of just four position players who put up at least 1.0 WAR last year but remain on the market, along with shortstop Elvis Andrus (3.5), outfielder Jurickson Profar (2.5) and infielder José Iglesias (1.0). Admittedly, he’s not coming off a great season with the Twins, but Sanchez’s 1.3 WAR was respectable, his 89 wRC+ matched the major league average for catchers, and he had his best defensive season since 2018, reversing a multiyear decline.

Aside from rumors of interest from the Giants in January and the Angels earlier this month, the Sanchez burner of the hot stove has barely flickered this winter, but things heated up a bit in the wee hours of Wednesday after Sanchez and strength and conditioning coach Theo Aasen shared a short Instagram video of the 30-year-old backstop doing some exercises and baseball activities while wearing a shirt with the Yankees’ insignia.

Gary Sanchez casually working out in Yankees gear ? pic.twitter.com/WPL40kyBkM

— The Game Day MLB (@TheGameDayMLB) February 16, 2023

Sanchez, of course, spent the first 13 years of his professional career with the Yankees, from his July 2, 2009 signing out of the Dominican Republic until March 13 of last year. With one year remaining before free agency, the team traded him to the Twins as part of a five-player deal that also sent Gio Urshela to Minnesota and brought Josh Donaldson, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, and Ben Rortvedt to the Bronx. While the video fueled speculation as to his possible return to the fold, so far there’s no evidence of that happening, and indeed a fit seems unlikely for multiple reasons.

While in the minors, Sanchez cracked the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects list five times, peaking at no. 30 in 2011 and finishing at no. 36 in ’16, following a two-game cameo with the Yankees the previous October. He burst upon the scene in late 2016, hitting 20 homers in a 52-game stint after Yankees general manager Brian Cashman read the handwriting on the wall, unloaded several veterans at the trade deadline, and leaned into the “Baby Bombers” youth movement that also included the debut of Aaron Judge. Sanchez’s performance earned him second place in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, and with Brian McCann departing as a free agent after the season, he took over the starting job and made his first of two All-Star appearances via a 33-homer, 4.3 WAR season in 2017. From there the returns diminished amid a spate of injuries, high strikeout rates, and struggles with receiving. Indeed, the debates over his defense grew endless and soul-wearying, his every hiccup behind the plate blown out of proportion. It didn’t take a rocket surgeon to see that he’d become a polarizing presence within the organization, subject to being undermined by those notorious unnamed sources.

Sanchez’s last truly good season was 2019. Despite missing about four weeks due to calf and groin strains, he was worth 2.4 WAR while batting .232/.316/.525 (116 wRC+) with 34 homers and making his second All-Star team. He sank to a miserable .147/.253/.365 (69 wRC+) with -0.1 WAR during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but rebounded to hit .204/.307/.423 (100 wRC+) with 23 homers and 1.5 WAR in ’21. With his salary rising, first to $5 million (before proration) in 2020 and then $6.35 million in ’21, and with the Yankees running out of patience in their efforts to shore up his game on both sides of the ball, the team dealt him to the Twins even though it left their immediate catching situation looking bleaker than the end of The Great Silence — and even worse after Rortvedt strained an oblique muscle in mid-spring (ultimately, he played just two games before July 12).

In that light, Cashman’s April 2 trade to acquire Jose Trevino from the Rangers proved to be a master stroke, as he put together a 3.7-WAR All-Star and Gold Glove season. The Yankees’ total of 5.2 WAR from Trevino and backup Kyle Higashioka ranked fifth in the majors. While the latter’s free-swinging ways (including a 4.8% walk rate) limited him to an 83 wRC+, his 10 homers in 248 PA and his second year in a row with at least five framing runs bolstered his WAR to 1.7. Add to that staff ace Gerrit Cole’s clear preference for throwing to Higashioka rather than Sanchez in his first two seasons with the team — doing so for 35 out of 47 starts, including all four postseason turns — it’s hard to see how Sanchez could fit back into the Yankees’ depth chart.

In Minnesota, Sanchez began the 2022 season as the backup but took over the starting job when light-hitting Ryan Jeffers missed most of the second half due to a right thumb fracture that required surgery. Via 80 starts at catcher and another 32 at DH, plus assorted appearances off the bench, Sanchez took 471 plate appearances, his highest total since 2017, but hit just .205/.282/.377 with 16 homers (Jeffers hit a nearly identical .208/.285/.363 for an 87 wRC+).

As ever, Sanchez hit the ball hard… when he connected. His 90.5 mph average exit velocity placed in the 78th percentile, while his 13.5% barrel rate and 49.3% hard-hit rate both placed in the 92nd percentile. His ninth-percentile sprint speed no doubt cost him hits, particularly as his groundball rate spiked from 36.3% to a full-season high of 43.8%, and the move Target Field probably didn’t help (186/.273/.304, 70 wRC+ there), but he hit the ball hard enough to deserve better. His .220 xBA and .439 xSLG were pretty consistent with the previous year’s .228 and .452, and his .321 xwOBA (31 points higher than his wOBA) placed him in the 55th percentile.

Sanchez did strike out 28.9% of the time, the highest full-season rate of his career, and walked 8.9%, his lowest mark since 2017. For the second year out of three, he was utterly helpless against sliders (.155 AVG, .264 SLG, .213 wOBA, 44.4% whiff) and, on a much smaller scale even worse against changeups. On the other hand, he did shore up his defense, at least according to the metrics. Sanchez’s caught stealing rate improved from 17% in 2021 to 28% in ’22. He had just four passed balls (compared to league-high totals of 16 in 2017 and 18 in ’18), and his rate of missed pitches (wild pitches plus passed balls) per 800 innings dropped from 61.9 to 34.7. By FanGraphs’ framing numbers, he improved from -2.5 runs (his third straight year in the red) to +1.9. By Baseball Prospectus’ more comprehensive defensive numbers, he was average or better in framing, blocking, and throwing for the first time in his career:

Beyond the numbers, Sanchez reportedly impressed the Twins with his work ethic, his attitude, and his improved pitch framing. He meshed well with catching coach Hank Conger, who spoke highly of him to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, as did manager Rocco Baldelli and several pitchers.

Yet he’s no longer a Twin. After making $9 million in 2022, Sanchez became a free agent at the end of the season. It was a pretty weak market for catchers, with Willson Contreras (3.3 WAR) the big prize but Christian Vázquez (1.6) and Omar Narváez (1.1) the only other backstops worth at least one win in 2022, though both Roberto Perez and Mike Zunino project to cross that threshold in ’23. Our crowdsource estimated that Sanchez would net a one-year, $8 million deal, matching the highest AAV of the non-Contreras group.

All of those other players have long since found homes, with Contreras signing a five-year, $87.5 million contract with the Cardinals and Vázquez effectively replacing Sanchez with the Twins via a three-year, $30 million deal, well beyond our crowdsource’s two-year, $16 million estimate. Narváez (two years, $15 million from the Mets), Tucker Barnhart (two years, $6.5 million from the Cubs), Zunino (one year, $6 million from the Guardians), Austin Hedges (one year, $5 million from the Pirates), Curt Casali (one year, $3.25 million from the Reds) and Luke Maile (one year, $1.18 million from the Reds) all signed major league deals as well.

Earlier this month, the New York Post’s Jon Heyman reported that the Angels had been in touch with Sanchez, but so far nothing has come to fruition. With that in mind, here’s a look at their catching situation as well as a small handful of others that come to mind while perusing our Depth Charts. At this juncture, what stands out most is that even among the teams I’ve highlighted, none are obvious fits. I’ve listed the teams in order of their catchers’ combined projected WAR based on playing time estimates.

Los Angeles Angels (18th on Depth Charts, 3.0 WAR)

Max Stassi is the incumbent starter, but he plummeted from a 104 wRC+ and 2.9 WAR in 2021 to a 63 wRC+ and 0.0 WAR in ’22. The backup spot appears to be up for grabs between the out-of-options 27-year-old Matt Thaiss and 23-year-old Logan O’Hoppe. Thaiss is a 2016 first-round pick who caught while at the University of Virgina but mothballed the tools of ignorance until ’21; he also plays first and third base, and swings from the left side, giving him some extra roster utility. He hit .268/.364/.451 at Triple-A Salt Lake City last year but was replacement level in 81 PA in the majors. O’Hoppe is a 50-FV prospect who was acquired straight up for Brandon Marsh on August 2 of last year; he played five games for the Angels after splitting his season between the Double-A affiliates of Philadelphia and Anaheim, for whom he hit .283/.416/.544 with 26 homers in 447 PA. The Athletic’s Keith Law named him his Prospect of the Year based on his combination of strong offense, a powerful arm, and solid defense, but he’s caught just five games at Triple-A and four in the majors, so he almost certainly needs more seasoning.

Angels manager Phil Nevin is familiar with Sanchez from his time as a Yankees coach, and at the very least, he’d make a good placeholder until O’Hoppe is ready. But if the team is only paying Stassi $7 million in the middle year of a three-year deal, it’s tough to see them signing Sanchez for anywhere near as much money to play second banana, and with Shohei Ohtani serving as the everyday DH, it’s not like Sanchez is going to get many opportunities via that route.

San Diego Padres (24th, 2.6 WAR)

After parting ways with Jorge Alfaro, who started 59 times last year, the Padres have 24-year-old Luis Campusano slated to back up Austin Nola, who’s coming off a subpar showing (89 wRC+, 0.2 WAR) in his largest slice of playing time to date (397 PA). Campusano has just 18 major league starts under his belt, and only projects to hit for a 96 wRC+ (.238/.299/.382) but via Eric Longenhagen’s Graduation TLDR, he’s regarded as a catcher with premium offensive ability. That said, recently The Athletic’s Dennis Lin reported that Campusano is “one of the organization’s most polarizing players,” in terms of various areas of the team believing in his abilities. “[H]is offense has been less polished than originally advertised, and most evaluators say he needs significant refinement in all aspects — including ball-blocking and attention to detail — before he can be trusted as a regular big-leaguer,” wrote Lin.

Thus Sanchez presents an alternative not just to third catcher Pedro Severino (your basic replacement level third-stringer) but for those who believe Campusano needs more seasoning. Then again, he’s already been through the wars as an organization’s most polarizing player, and in his current state he’s not so polished to be the obvious choice. Plus there’s the Padres’ payroll situation; they’re about $6 million short of the $273 million third Competitive Balance Tax threshold according to RosterResource, and that doesn’t include their agreement to terms with Michael Wacha, which was reported Tuesday. Barring an injury to somebody else, Sanchez doesn’t seem like the guy they’ll break the bank to sign.

San Francisco Giants (26th, 2.4 WAR)

The post-Buster Posey era got off to a rocky start when heir apparent Joey Bart was demoted to Triple-A last June amid a dreadful slump. He did play better upon returning but overall hit just .215/.296/.364 (90 wRC+) with -3.7 framing runs and 0.6 WAR. With Casali signing with the Reds, manager Gabe Kapler has declared that the job is wide open, with Bart, Perez, Blake Sabol and Austin Wynns in the mix. Perez is a glove-first 34-year-old with a career 77 wRC+; after making just 69 PA last year due to season-ending surgery on his left hamstring in May, he signed a minor league deal that would pay $2.5 million for a full season in the majors. Wynns is a 32-year-old who replaced Bart for a time last year and hit for a 92 wRC+ in 171 PA but was outrighted off the 40-man roster earlier this month, while Sabol is a 25-year-old Rule 5 pick from the Pirates.

Via Héctor Gómez, the Giants showed interest in Sanchez in late January, but that was before they signed Perez to a much more economical deal. So long as he’s healthy, it’s harder to see how Sanchez could fit into their plans, particularly if their ultimate hope is that Bart seizes the day.

Houston Astros (29th on Depth Charts, 1.4 WAR)

The Astros don’t project well via 36-year-old Martín Maldonado (0.8 WAR in 429 PA) and 24-year-olds Korey Lee (0.3 WAR in 160 PA) and Yainer Diaz (0.3 WAR in 51 PA). Maldonado simply doesn’t hit (72 career wRC+, 70 in 2022), but Astros pitchers love throwing to him, the organization values his game-calling and leadership abilities, and they’ve got shiny new World Series rings to validate their commitment, regardless of what the numbers say.

Lee is a 2019 first-round pick who “has a 70 arm and plus power, but is likely a 30-grade hitter,” according to Eric Longenhagen’s Prospect TLDR from last year. Diaz is a defense-first type but has just 48 games of Triple-A experience where Lee has 113; both are 45 FV prospects but together they have all of seven major league starts between them. One of them might be Houston’s catcher of the future, but that doesn’t have to mean the future starts on Opening Day. Then again, it might be tougher for the team to sort through its options if both Lee and Diaz are crowding each other at Triple-A Sugar Land.

As you can see, at this juncture the landscape just isn’t a very favorable one for El Gary. Between his recent performances, the mix of teams looking for catching, and, possibly, the perception that he’s become a project on both sides of the ball, his contract expectations don’t appear to have fit with the market. Thus he’s in the position of using the WBC (where he’ll share catching duties with the Rays’ Francisco Mejía) as a chance to audition for a lesser-paying job, which beats waiting for some team to dial his number after one of their other options is injured. Either way, it’s not a great place to be.