The Brewers declined their end of Gary Sanchez’s $11MM mutual option for the 2025 season, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports (X link). Sanchez will now take a $4MM buyout and return to free agency for the fourth time in the last two years.
Initially a one-year, $7MM deal contract, Sanchez’s deal with the Brewers ended up being a one-year, $3MM guarantee with a mutual option worth $11MM. The size of the buyout was conditional based on whether or not Sanchez missed time due to a wrist-related injury, but that didn’t prove to be an issue, so he unlocked the maximum $4MM on the buyout, allowing him to land that $7MM in salary after all.
The restructured deal came about after the Brewers had some concerns with the state of Sanchez’s wrist after it was fractured in September 2023. Sanchez did miss a month due to a calf strain, and he otherwise hit .220/.307/.392 with 11 homers over 280 plate appearances and 89 games.
Sanchez’s presence allowed William Contreras to get a good dose of extra playing time at the DH spot, thus allowing him some partial rest while keeping his bat in Milwaukee’s lineup. The Brewers are likely to explore a similar plan for the coming season, if perhaps not necessarily with Sanchez in the backup catcher role. A reunion shouldn’t be ruled out, however, if the Brewers were generally satisfied with Sanchez’s work, or if perhaps they simply aren’t enamored with any other catching options on the open market.
From Sanchez’s perspective, this particular scenario with Milwaukee would allow him essentially the same amount of playing time as he would in a normal platoon situation elsewhere, with the bonus of playing for a perpetual contender. Now entering his age-32 season, Sanchez should get some attention from other teams due to the ever-churning nature of the catching market, even if his heyday as an All-Star with the Yankees is now increasingly in the rearview mirror. Sanchez did rebound to hit 19 homers in 2023 with the Padres, though brought little else to the offensive table apart from that power.
Kinda surprised was a good backup option. Most likely Attanasio’s cheapstake wanted him gone.
Brewers are active today. He wasn’t used much as a backup catcher and his offense was too inconsistent to warrant being kept on as a weak-side DH option when they have Hoskins on the roster still.
He’ll get a spring invite somewhere but probably not that kind of bread again.
Depending on cost and other moves made first, I’d consider Sanchez as a righty DH, emergency catcher for Boston. Could be simply cut in spring training but I also think he could reach the monster with ease if he’d shorten his swing.
Go back to San Diego!
Don’t need him, have Jeferson Quero
Haase played okay in limited time as well. I’d feel confident with Haase holding down the fort until Quero shows he’s back to pre injury form(and gain the extra year of control)
Sanchez has been bumping along replacement level for years except for 2023. He might latch on somewhere as a backup but nobody’s rushing to sign him.
He’ll be a late signing when someone’s backup gets injured or cast away in spring training. Can’t see any team proactively signing him early. But I won’t count out the White Sox. His agent needs to camp out near Guaranteed Rate Field.
Nationals possibly? Guardians? He still can produce if he gets sample size ABs.