Disappointment occurs when reality doesn’t meet expectations. That can result from reality not being very good but it’s also possible for expectations to be too high. If there’s an upcoming movie or album that you build up in your head as the greatest of all time and it turns out to be only pretty good, that will probably register as a disappointment to you. All of this is a tee-up for this question: What if Gary Sánchez is actually pretty good?
Once upon a time, the expectations for Sánchez were so incredibly high. A top 100 prospect on his way up the minor league ladder with the Yankees, he burst onto the scene in 2016, hitting 20 home runs in just 53 games. He followed that up with 33 homers in his first full campaign in 2017, hitting .278/.345/.531 for a wRC+ of 131. He still hadn’t qualified for arbitration at that time, giving the Yanks years of cheap club control and leading many to give the nickname “The Sanchize” to the young catcher.
But he hasn’t been at that level since, which is why many now view him as a disappointment or a bust. In 2018, he hit below the Mendoza line while battling injuries and only getting into 89 games. He bounced back with a 34-homer campaign in 2019, but that was the “juiced ball” season and his batting average, on-base percentage and defense were all worse than in 2017. His 2.4 wins above replacement from FanGraphs were barely half of the 4.3 fWAR he had in 2017.
In 2020, Sánchez hit another 10 home runs in the shortened season but his .147 BA and .253 OBP were obviously rough. He struck out in 36% of his plate appearances. There were rumors that the Yankees were considering a non-tender, rather than giving him a raise on his $5MM salary. A poll of MLBTR readers from that offseason saw just 36.42% of voters suggest the club should run him back out as the starter again in 2021, with 41.04% suggesting a trade or non-tender and another 22.53% suggesting Sánchez be moved into a backup role.
The club did eventually tender him a contract, with the two sides settling on a $6.35MM salary for 2021. He went on to have a decent year, hitting 23 home runs and reducing his strikeout rate to 27.5%. His .204/.307/.423 batting line translated to a wRC+ of 101. That was enough to get him tendered a contract for 2022, though he was flipped to the Twins as part of the Josh Donaldson deal.
His one year in Minnesota yielded mixed results. His 16 home runs in 128 games were well shy of his previous power production, leading to a .205/.282/.377 batting line and 89 wRC+. But he showed some positive developments on defense. Defensive Runs Saved had him at -10 in 2021 but he jumped to +1 with the Twins. Framing metrics from FanGraphs and Baseball Prospectus gave him a positive mark after being in negative territory the previous three years. Statcast gave him a league average zero for his blocking, an improvement from the negative numbers in the previous four campaigns. Despite the subpar offense, he still tallied 1.3 fWAR.
A free agent for the first time going into 2023, Sánchez found a fairly tepid market. He lingered on the open market until the end of March, when he signed a minor league deal with the Giants. He opted out of that deal in early May and secured another minor league pact, this time with the Mets. His contract was selected by that club but he was designated for assignment after just three games.
The Padres claimed him off waivers in late May and he went on a heater from there. He hit 19 home runs in just 75 games, striking out in just 25.1% of his plate appearances. His .217/.288/.492 batting line led to a wRC+ of 111. His defense was also strong, with a +7 DRS and positive framing grades from Statcast and Baseball Prospectus. He tallied 1.7 fWAR in less than half a season, getting shut down in early September due to a wrist fracture.
There’s also the game-calling to consider, which is hard to measure but definitely has value. Martín Maldonado has continued to get work despite being one of the worst hitters in baseball in his career, largely on the strength of his defense and work with a pitching staff. His defensive numbers were poor in 2023 but he was still able to get $4MM from the White Sox for 2024, with the Sox presumably willing to give out that kind of cash for some intangible benefit from Maldonado’s ability to tease more value of their pitchers.
Sánchez joining the Padres coincided with Blake Snell turning around his season. Through 10 starts this year, Snell had an earned run average of 5.04. But he posted a miniscule 1.18 ERA over his final 22 outings, lowering his season ERA to 2.25 and earning himself a second Cy Young Award. Sánchez caught the first 18 of those 22 games, missing the last four due to his wrist injury.
That may be a coincidence but Snell himself spoke positively of the pairing to Dennis Lin of The Athletic during the season. “I’ve always heard about him offensively, but I love him,” Snell said at that time. “He blocked, like, a 97-mile-an-hour fastball in the dirt. I threw a curveball and it hit the grass and he blocked it. I mean, I don’t see the problem. Even calling the game, we had a game plan; we executed. I even put a lot of trust in him, like, what do you want? Like, you tell me. … I trust him on that. He’s smart.” The praise didn’t end there. “Framing’s good. Framing, blocking, he’s got a hose,” said Snell. “No one’s even trying to run on me. And I’ve been, like, 1.5, 1.6 (seconds to home). I really trust him because of how good he is back there. It brings a lot of comfort. So I’ve been really happy about it.”
Now Sánchez is on the open market again, with very little smoke around his free agency. The Padres reportedly had interest in a reunion, though that was before they acquired Kyle Higashioka in the Juan Soto deal. No other club has been connected to Sánchez in rumors. That’s despite the fact that there are clubs with obvious needs behind the plate, including the Marlins, Rockies, Red Sox, Cubs, Angels, Rays and Pirates.
For some people, Sánchez will always be a bust, with his incredible early-career work having set the hopes so high. While the recent work is obviously not the same as in 2016-2017, the result is still a solid everyday player. His 8.6 fWAR dating back to 2018 his 11th in baseball among primary catchers. One of those ahead of him is Buster Posey, so he’s actually 10th among those that are still active. He’s never produced less than 1.3 fWAR in a full season. His batting average seems destined to remain low, but his power has been present in every season apart from his 2022 stint with the Twins. On defense, his blocking and framing have improved in recent years, while his arm has always been strong. The game-calling is tough to quantify but Snell’s results and high praise are positive omens.
The total package paints Sánchez as a decent everyday catcher, which could lead to pretty good money in free agency. In recent winters, Christian Vázquez got $30MM over three years, Omar Narváez got two years and $15MM, while Yan Gomes got $13MM over two. This winter, Mitch Garver got $24MM, Victor Caratini $12MM and Tom Murphy $8.3MM, all on two-year deals. Garver and Murphy have checkered injury histories while Caratini has never been a potent offensive threat. Sánchez could perhaps be in line for a much better trip to free agency than a year ago, so long as the expectations are set appropriately.
What a roller coaster, still wish he panned out for the yanks. Either way happy to see him come back around
That’s the Sanchise Baby!!!
Let his agent know that Sanchez is just not good.
Agents are trying hard to drum up business. Maybe they should petition Robby the robot into solving the RSN fiasco so clubs are more willing to spend.
It still amazes me that this RSN failure could happen. MLB has record highs in revenue and more exposure than it ever could have prior to 21st century technological advancements. That the parent company of RSNs can conceivably file bankruptcy in an economically booming N American sport should be criminal.
Probably worded terribly, but you get the point.
It also amazes me that MLB don’t seem to take advantage of 21st century technology as much as the other sports seem to. They definitely could market themselves better, it seems, and I am not a PR expert by any means, despite staying at a Holiday Inn once.
Yeah, not to mention the black outs and all the different channels/subscriptions required to get all the games.
Absolutely.
The cable TV model is dying and I believe MLB has gotten caught up in that, since millions of TV & sports fans have cut the cable TV cord.
The problem is the lucrative north east teams own their own RSN. You will have to pry them from their cold dead hands. MASN is a complete joke.
Y’all forget the Dodgers and Cubs have their own channels? Dodgers were able to afford Ohtani and Yamamoto simply because the ballclub is getting paid no matter what.
Having your own channel doesn’t save you from cord cutting. Fewer viewers means less ad revenue. Because of the Larger market size, teams like NY and LA will take longer to feel the pain.
Booming economy? You must live in the democrat propaganda world, not the real world.
Go back to X marks the spot, I’m sure they love you there. This is a baseball site, we don’t care about your politics here.
Highwaymenace: I think you misunderstood my statement: I said an “economically booming N American sport”…. That statement references an economic structure (MLB in N America) distinct from the general economy.
Not all that surprising considering how rapidly cable TV is dying.
@yc
The rsn collapse doesn’t surprise me, cable companies have been slow to adapt and counted on younger generations to keep subscribing to there services, and just like blockbuster cable companies laughed at streaming content like Netflix. Well by late 2000s internet improves mobility devices becoming more capable and a lot of 40 and under just don’t want cable because we just don’t want to pay for a subpar product with a handful of channels I want to watch and is still loaded on commercials, or say bleep cable and with the ye ole Google machine and find the content I want including sports.
On the side up until last year I had cable for my dad because he’s not great with computers, but had the hd package and boxes but I got better video quality using “shady” sites using my computer than watching the same game on my cable box
Hey Brodie! I hope your Christmas was great and I wish you and yours a Happy New Year.
Yeah, I completely agree, and I think I worded my comment poorly. I agree this was a predictable outcome, but I feel MLB should’ve seen this coming (at least more than they did), and mitigated the potential for this utter failure.
I hope the best for your Cards this season!
Thanks, man. I appreciate it.
@yc
Thank you good sir for the well wishes and hope you had a great Christmas and happy new year.
It doesn’t surprise me that mlb was slow to react, tbh sometimes I think mlb is so stuck in the “we’re Americas pastime, we’ll always have fans” and just assume that fans will still show up. It’s not until stuff hit the fan that both mlb and rsn are in panic mode, imo you want more eyes on the product make it easy for people to consume. I’m sure I’m not alone in this sentiment, but if you put out a product worth purchasing and at a fair price people will buy it.
Btw good luck to your nyy this year, last year was rough for both our teams
I root for all free agents
Some more than others though
Go figure, players that play worse under Boone and his coaching staff? Color me surprised…..
Never thought I’d miss Joe Girardi, but here we are
Jordan Montgomery on line 1.
Sonny Gray on line 2! (This will be a fun thread…)
Lance Lynn on line 3!
Girardi was a fantastic manager . The 2013 – 2016 clubs had no business being above .500 but they were every season.
Also anyone remember that 1 week of Billy butler at the end of 2016 lol
Country Breakfast in the Big Apple.
It’s almost as if he knew what pitch was coming in 2017 because of the sign stealing scheme Beltran left behind…
You know, it continues to amaze me how gullible fans can be. If anyone thinks sign stealing wasn’t widespread back then, they must have their heads up their poop shoot. Look at a guy like Cody Bellinger, for example. Everyone talks about the shoulder, and I’m not trying to suggest that wasn’t an issue. But he also knew what was coming in his mvp season.
“Disappointment occurs when reality doesn’t meet expectations. That can result from reality not being very good but it’s also possible for expectations to be too high. If there’s an upcoming movie or album that you build up in your head as the greatest of all time and it turns out to be only pretty good, that will probably register as a disappointment to you.”
Some opening monologue you got going there Darragh…You hitting the shrooms this morning?
What if Gary Sanchez is a catcher that can only stop a baseball if it hits him in the chest?
There’s a title for catchers that can’t catch: Gas station attendants
So what you’re saying is you saw an article on Gary Sanchez, quickly scrolled to the bottom to post a comment without reading it? Sometimes it’s fun to just hate/like a player isn’t it?
That does t appear to be an accurate take there, Mr. Dropped.
Are you purposely mocking gas station attendants or just trying to be cute and funny? Did you read the article and see the improvements he’s made? He never became the Sanchize for the Yankees but he compares well with many catchers of his era. I watched him all last year and he hit some clutch home runs and did a good job behind the plate. And he’s humble. A good example in the dugout and clubhouse. He was a big improvement over Austin whatever his last name was.
The article goes of its way to mention his ex teammates praising his ability to block and catch pitches…. Must be a dem voter, low IQ
Given how salaries have absolutely skyrocketed relative to the typical valuations per WAR, etc. I think Sanchez is in for a very good payday.
Seems like virtually everybody’s been getting overpaid or their pay has been adjusted upward by just under half- meaning for a guy who would have typically been valued at $10M, they’re getting $14.5M, for a guy typically valued at $12.5M they’re valued at like $18M, etc.
He had 2.4 WAR last year, his best showing in a very long time- his pitch framing and his defense seem to have largely come around to nearly or truly league average, if not better and his offense was solid- not his peak, but solid.
Anybody else without his up and down track record would be in line for 2 years/$25M to 3 years/$42M, I’d imagine.
But given the uncertainty around Sanchez….
…I’ve been projecting him for roughly 2 years/$18M-$20M w/ an option year that would push the AAV to well over $10M.
2 years/$16M w/ a $2M buyout on a $14M option.
or
2 years/$18M w/ a $2M buyout on a $16.5M option.
It’s possible someone desperate, deep pocketed and optimistic could give him as much as 3 years/$40.5M straight up. But I don’t think he’ll snag a third guaranteed year, given the uncertainty around him.
I think he should re-up in San Diego. Even with all the payroll cutting by them, they can still afford to give him 2 years/$20M to 3 years/$40M without crossing a line into overspending.
TTO – I think your projections are right on. As the article said, SD isn’t an option because they have Campy finally as starter and they acquired a backup in the Soto trade. They also have a so-so depth guy at AAA in a pinch.
With Salas a possible 2025 guy, they don’t need to commit 2+ years to Sanchez at what likely turns out to be a down cycle contract.
Not many teams are investing that money in a pure back up.
i think the second year will be an option year, and i think the garver contract is his ceiling. i see something like 2/15-20 mil, including a buyout, maybe to the marlins, tigers, or rays or pirates if the price tag falls low enough. padres brought in higashioka in trade and already have campy, so i dont see them as a very realistic suitor.
I think Higashioka will be packaged with others for pitching I see a place for Sanchez as a backup to Campusano who has been a little fragile. Two years 18 million. I would like to see it. He fits well with the Padres lineup. Well liked. A veteran.
Do concur. Would be a good placeholder until Salas is ready
Tigers have two C, who can actually catch. I see Sanchez signing for about $6MM on a one year with Florida, only after the Fish fail to acquire a C in trade. It will be the only opportunity he will get as a starter, and backups don’t get paid.
@stymeedone: As a Sanchez fan, I hate to say it, but I think you’re right.
Sanchez started the year off pretty well for the Twins, actually. It was only after Jeffers went down and Sanchez was starting every single day with no rest that his production dropped off.
Pre-Jeffers 7/14 injury = wRC+ 96 with good defense.
Post-Jeffers 7/14 injury = wRC+ 80 with good defense.
His rebound in San Diego looked legit to me. I think Gary Sanchez is probably a solid starting catcher option. I’d sure as hell rather have him than Christian Vazquez….
@martras: good point about Jeffers injury and Gary’s numbers.
I firmly believe he is better than some of the catchers already on some teams rosters and that some teams are making a mistake not signing him
I woukd like to see a
Joey Gallo article
Justin Turner article
Why they would be good fits for the Orioles
And Santa did not bring a Top of the Rotation starter for the O’s this Christmas
Also wondering what the word is on Treveor Bauer
The word is “stay away”.
he did his time, I would give him a chance, but I am among the few
Trevor Bauer is currently being shaken down for money by another crazy woman in Arizona. Until that’s dismissed, there’s no chance he’s going to sign anywhere.
I always wanted to shake someone down and have them thank me for it
He is not coming back. No team would even talk to his agent about him at the Winter Meetings. He is a pariah and if he continues to play will do so in Japan.
Had a feeling that was the case, but hadn’t read it anywhere. Thanks!
He’ll absolutely 100% be back provided the latest shakedown ends in dismissal.
His agent met with teams in November, before winter meetings. Teams are 100% interested in his talent, they’re not going to touch him with unsettled allegations out there.
Texas or Atlanta would be easy sells based on the more conservative fan base.
I wondered about reunion with Cincinnati as well, a couple teams make sense. Despite all the extracurricular stuff it was a lot of fun watching him pitch.
I think Trevor would welcome a reunion with DJ. However, no way Castellini and ownership have the grit to allow a signing of Bauer. Remember the Chapman throw-away.
He admitted doing exactly what Hill said he did. He said it was consensual, but it still violates the rules of baseball even if it is.
He has never been exonerated. In fact, MLB found him guilty of breaking the domestic violence policy twice and he has been to court once when he sued for defamation and he lost that suit.
Bauer has never apologized for his behavior nor said he would stop doing it. Reread my 2nd sentence if you don’t understand why that is a huge problem for him.
He is now involved in a 4th situation
He will never play in MLB again. That was confirmed when no team would even speak to his agent about it at the Winter Meetings.
“… Atlanta ….”
Look up Hector Olivera for a reference.
@BaseballisLife – Research a little more. Bauer’s been exonerated in every single case so far. By that I mean formally exonerated. No motions upheld. No charges filed. That’s a major rarity these days when it comes to high profile accusations like this.
Bauer was suspended, like many other players, and his suspension is over.
@Longtimecoming – Big difference between a former Cy Young without having any charges filed than a mediocre rookie who is convicted and sentenced to jail time.
Martras, in 10 years when Bauer hasn’t pitched an mlb inning I hope you can remember your post.
Bauer and his lawyer both admitted that he did what Hill and the other women claimed he had done. That is against the domestic violence policy of baseball.
Bauer said it was consensual. All 3 women said it was not. He said, she said cases almost never criminally adjudicated. In California I can’t find a single high profile case where charges were filed.
He has been in ONE case that went to court. A defamation lawsuit he filed. He lost.
MLB found him guilty of violating the domestic violence policy of baseball and then an arbitration panel found him guilty.
I find people that still defend him after all of that are pretty vile creatures in their hearts and I have no willingness to subject myself to their particular poison.
Muted.
@Longtimecoming – If I’m wrong, it won’t matter. I think it’s pretty sad your sense of ego is so strongly tied to whether or not you guess better than me on whether or not Trevor Bauer plays again.
His cases have been in court. He has made statements in court. He was not required to testify.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman ruled in Bauer’s favor in regard to the restraining order requested by Jane Doe 5 (Lindsey Hill).
“Respondent did not pursue petitioner, she pursued him” – Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman
“We consider in a sexual encounter that when a woman says no she should be believed so what should we do when she says yes?” – Judge Dianna Gould-Saltman.
The judge said the woman’s petition asking for the domestic violence restraining order was “materially misleading.”
The judge’s ruling in Jane Doe 5 vs. Trevor Bauer was pretty scathing towards to the petitioner, and yet here we are. People adamantly saying the ruling never happened, that Bauer wasn’t exonerated, and perpetuating the false narrative because it’s politically correct to do so. The temporary restraining order in Ohio was withdrawn as well.
None of this means Bauer’s a great guy or that he didn’t violate an MLB rule. He did violate the conduct policy, but it would have come to a minor suspension had Bauer not taken the nuclear option path and dragged MLB through the mud along with himself.
You making this a personal matter when you have nothing personal connected to it (you don’t know Bauer, you don’t know Lindsey Hill, you don’t know any of the other extortionists) is part of a growing issue in the United States. Failing to separate yourself and your identity from your political and social causes.
I guess Turner might be a fit as a near-everyday DH if we were to trade Santander as part of a deal for a SP but there is literally zero reason for the Orioles to sign the corpse of Joey Gallo. None. Less than none even.
Taking playing time away from Kjerstad and/or Cowser, who are both MLB ready top 5 overall draft picks that dominated AAA, for Gallo would be absolutely preposterous and run completely counter to the tanking strategy we employed to “earn” those top 5 picks in the first place.
Turner would be terrific
I’m not sure I prefer him as our regular 2024 DH over Santander or even Kjerstad, but if Tony Taters is dealt for pitching and Elias wants to play it conservatively and replace him with a reliable 1 year veteran instead of going with the rookie, I would be fine with Turner. He’s probably more realistic for the Orioles in that scenario than JDM, who I would prefer over Turner but will carry a higher pricetag than John Angelos in likely to sign off on.
Turner can still play the field
And he is a good leader
He is like an older clone of Gunnar Henderson
Here ya go:
Joey Gallo recently signed a contract for a local beer league slow-pitch softball team. He thinks it’s a great opportunity to adjust his approach for more contact. Gallo was quoted, “I can show them all, so long as the pitch is less than 40mph and the ball is way bigger!”
Hahahaha, thank you!!!
Joey Gallo? Other than being to complete opposite of the Os batting philosophy, where would they play a guy that hits 180 in that lineup?
Love Turner but again where ? Why? Sure if you could get him cheap as insurance if Mountcastle falters, but you can’t.
They have the best minor league system for position players and they won 101 games, so they are doing anything like this.
No one ever thought they were signing a front line pitcher. They add a mid level guy late in the process.
Surprised the guy who wrote this article on MLBTR doesn’t realize by now that a “highly touted prospect by the Yankee organization” holds little value. I’m a Yankee fan since 1998 and can say only a select few have actually panned out (Jeter, Judge, Posada, Rivera). All the rest, namely ones recently, have been refused to be added to trade talks to have acquired Gerrit Cole back in 2017.
It’s pathetic because where are the aforementioned prospects who wouldn’t be dealt for Cole? Minor leagues or out of baseball. Yankees fans are obnoxious and they tout prospects highly because they have the NY logo attached to then. It’s nonsense and prospects are nothing regardless what organization they are in and until they have proven multiple good MLB seasons, they shouldn’t be named the next Mickey Mantle
You forgot Andy
He took steroids so he doesn’t count
In one line you say you’ve been a yankees fan since 98 and later you call yankees fans obnoxious. How pathetic is it that you entertain yourself by pretending to be a yankees fan on mlbtr so that you get to interact with other people?
Guess we should just release this guy now and give make Yankee fans false hope
nj.com/yankees/2023/12/yankees-tooled-up-prospect-…
wouldn’t be surprised to see him reunite with Snell wherever he ends up signing.
R – this is surely in both of their minds to some degree based on 2023 success. I’m not sure how much this goes on in baseball and Snell surely isn’t looking only at teams that would have a fit for Sanchez. Sanchez isn’t ignoring offers from teams that can’t afford Snell either!
However, the Snell decision comes to a team with a need for help at C and then I think the Sanchez hotline lights up for sure because Snell will drop a hint. Agent will start calling the GM etc. trying to generate an offer for Sanchez.
Have him to Milwaukee to back-up Contreras. Standard Brewers profile. Offense first catcher that Milwaukee always seemingly improves defensively.
I saw Sanchez catch a few games with the Padres last year, gotta say he really turned his defense around, and his offensive numbers were alright. Maybe whoever signs Snell signs Gary if they need a catcher upgrade.
It might turn out looking like a package deal!
I don’t know that the Marlins would spend the money but Sanchez seems to be exactly the kind of player they would sign
One of my all time favorite Yankees.
Will always root for him except if he goes to Boston.
I’ll miss Gary’s stint with us but Kyle Higashioka is a top 10 catcher in the National League. Good luck Gary!
@619MetroFriars yeah maybe top 10 worst catchers… Higashioka can’t hit, can’t field, can’t run. Hes the Daniel Vogelbach of catching
So he’s in the bottom 40% ? 10 of 15.
I’d love to see Snell and Sanchez reunite and sign with the Red Sox.
Snell wants to be a Mariner.
Going into 2023, I thought he had nothing left in the tank. He surprised me. I still wouldn’t want him as a starting catcher, but he is much better than I anticipated.
Yeah Sanchez was a big surprise and if he finished the year healthy he had a real shot being the single season homerun leader from a Padre catcher… despite debuting around game 50. He was only a few short.
His defense was crazy how much better he was then what I was expecting… he looked better defensively then what they have had in the post Hedges options and it was nice having one that could actually throw someone out. Campy threw out 1 of 25 base stealers and Nola was similar.
I wonder if miggy would hire him in Detroit after his sucker punch?
gotta imagine he ends up in Florida
It’s a shame both he and the organization fought his apprenticeship under Girardi. He has never been the same since they let Girardi go.
He is what he is. Don’t expect more.
I would love to see him on the Pirates. Do a 50/50 split between him and Davis at C while Endy is on IR. Davis picks up games in RF and DH.
I’m stunned to read that the Yankees thought one of their players would be so much better than he turned out to be.
+1
Another great pick up on the cheap by AJ Preller
There are 60 catchers in MLB. For whatever reason he’s currently not one of them. Are all 60 better than Sanchez? Nope. There has to be something causing 29 teams in two years to pass
Gary Sanchez’s free agent profile needs only to merely say “available”. Pretty sure he signs with the first team that offers him an mlb deal. Otherwise anywhere on a minors deal that seems likely he could crack the club out of spring training.
Knock Knock Ross Atkins.
I’m hoping Sanchez likes San Diego. If somebody reaches for him above 2/15 I think he signs regardless of role.
I’d prefer him in SD to be a 3rd Catcher, short side of a 1B platoon with Cronenworth, and DH option.
I like a contract of 5 million 1st year, a dual option 2nd year at 8 million club or 2 million player or 250k buyout.
It wouldn’t be bad for padres to go with 3 catchers with campusano past injury issues.
Third string catchers don’t get multi year contracts. Players with his batting profile, (Joey Gallo) don’t get multi year contracts either.
Gotta do something creative to get players for under 10 million these days.
And as I posted, he’d be filling 3 spots of need for the padres.
Worst case, these deal is 2yr/7 mil and he’s a dfa mistake with low AAV hit. Not a major mistake, or even Carpenter level mistake.
Best case, it’s 2yr/ 13 mi and he is a hitting monster and pitcher whisperer for these young former Yankees.
Average case, it’s 1yr/ 5.25 mil for a guy who finds like 380 plate appearances with middling results.
I think the article suggests a guy like Sanchez could indeed command 2 years in this market.
Quite frankly I think he’ll end up with a stupid over bid, like 2/20 probably for the team that also over pays for Snell.
He hit well with the Padres, we will didn’t win games though.
the one player I want the rockies to realistically sign
I thought I might be reading the “athletic” for the first paragraph!
Sanchez has cut down on the passed balls but he still strikes out too often. The only way he makes a big league roster next year is on a minor league contract.
No way will he have to settle for a minor league contract. He had a 115 wRC+, 19 home runs, and +1.8 fWAR in only 260 plate appearances with the Padres last season. Not to mention his defense was solid last year too.
He’ll no doubt get a big league deal. I imagine at least 5 teams would happily give him 1/5m but expect he’ll do better than that.
Sanchez has bounced around the last couple of years — Minnesota to NY Mets to San Diego. Ballplayers who bounce around like that don’t get major league contracts.
They do when they have a decent season like Sanchez just did. If you don’t think a team wouldn’t offer him like a one year low cost deal because he has a slightly below average K% and has been on three teams in two years, you’re going to be wrong.
He’s a pretty underrated free agent imo. He is still a bat first catcher, but his defense was fairly solid last year too. Someone will definitley take him on a one-year deal as a catcher/designated hitter. Marlins seem like a good fit right now. It would be funny if he signed with Boston. He’d be an upgrade over Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. I feel like he could push 35 home runs in Colorado.
Marlins should take a flyer on him. They have cleared Stallings contract, and we can use a banger or 2….. and to add as a throw in he can catch. Let’s give him a contract and see.
The narrative that Sanchez is a bust is overstated. A bust is a prospect who fails to achieve success in the majors. That was hardly Sanchez. Over Sanchez’s first four seasons, he had a 122 OPS+ and made two All-Star teams and won a Silver Slugger. He would have made three All-Star teams, but he arrived in the second half of 2016, but nevertheless finished second in RoY voting. All our teams should have such busts. Darragh even fell victim to the narrative by downplaying his 2019 season, noting that his 34 HRs came in the year of the juiced ball, yet failing to recognize that his OPS+ was a very strong 119. He still was 19% above league average in the year of hitting. Once again, our teams should all have our catchers produce nearly 20% better than all MLB hitters, let alone catchers. What’s the average OPS+ for a catcher? 88? 89?
The issue, as Darragh correctly noted, is one of failing to match the production of those first four years, let alone the expectations when he burst onto the scene in 2016. His uneven performance, and his overall hitting style leads to frustration. As a hit-first catcher, he needs more consistency. It’s probably fair to toss out the hitter extremes of the shortened 2020 season of Covid, but his offense is still uneven. League average in 2021, above average in 2023, but poor (88) in 2022. His defense has also been a bit of a mixed bag. His pitch framing actually was ok when he first arrived, and he had (and has) one of the strongest catcher arms in the game, a skill that is now more valuable with the pickup in the running game. His pitch framing went in the toilet when the Yankees tried to reduce his passed balls with a dropped-knee catching approach. It made the passed balls issue worse and his pitch framing tanked too.
Sanchez is undervalued at this stage. Expectations need to be reset (they have been). I’d give him reps at 1B and use him as a catcher/1B/DH type. Kind of surprised the Rockies haven’t taken a look at him. I’d like to see how he’d hit at that elevation. His power has always been legit.
Is he willing to take a backup job in Cincinnati? The game calling would help with the development of their young starters and the power is a great fit for GABP.
The Reds may as well play to their ballpark and try out slugging opponents.
I never really understood the hype from this guy. Even in AAA, he was hitting .271 BA and an expected decline of 18%, brought his BA down to low .200. I guess they were excited about the wOBA that sat around .352 in AAA and hasn’t taken much of a drop for his career numbers but in recent years has mostly sat around .300, which is below average. He doesn’t even make up for it with his defense because it’s terrible as well.
I like Sanchez for the Phillies. Love the rah-rah enthusiasm of Garrett Stubbs, but his bat is mostly a limp noodle. Phillies an a very poor bench last year. Only Edmundo Sosa did anything worth noting (10 HR).
Hoping the Phillies sign Sanchez to back up JT and Duval for outfield depth or to a solid platoon bat vs. LHP. Both have serious pop.
By the end of Spring, some needy team will grab him up & swallow.
breakers at 25 ft right now at Sandspit, Montaña de Oro
Yankee fan here. It was easy to be disappointed after he didn’t follow up his early career success. He became the whipping boy for the media and was an easy target for his sub Mendoza line batting average and poor blocking skills… BUT the reality was Sanchez was the best power hitting catcher in baseball and had arguably the best throwing arm from the position. In an age of all or nothing hitters and high strike outs, Sanchez fits the mold of a modern day power hitter. And this certainly is not a popular opinion, where I’m from anyway, Gary Sanchez is a good baseball player. Not the best… It’s hard to argue with a 162 game avg of 38HR & 98RBI and for you new stat losers, an ISO of 245, compared to MLB.average of 164, HR% of 5.9 vs 3.1, Hard hit rate of 46.8 vs 38.8, and a career WAR of 14.9. Just my opinion.
Agree.
Pretty good lacks credibility. If he couldn’t hit the occasional mistake from a middle reliever 400 feet, he’d have been out of the league 3 years ago. That power, and to his credit some hard work improving his defense makes him worth a shot as a depth guy. That likely means minor league contracts and bouncing around from year to year.
I like him for the Rays on a 1 year inexpensive deal.