In a normal scenario, the New York Yankees wouldn’t even be considering reuniting with former all-star catcher Gary Sanchez, but given the magnitude of injuries they’ve sustained at the position this spring, they may have no choice but to consider his services.
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The Yankees are already suffering through a number of injuries at catcher:
-Ben Rortvedt (shoulder anuerysm)
-Austin Wells (rib injury)
-Josh Breaux (elbow injury)
The only healthy catchers on the roster are Kyla Higashioka and Jose Treviño. Treviño is the cemented starter, so at the very least the Yankees are healthy in that regard, but they are losing some of their prospects at a surprising speed.
That brings up the conversation about Gary Sanchez, who just turned 30 years old and is looking for another opportunity as a free agent. Last year, Sanchez played 128 games with the Minnesota Twins after being traded there in the deal that brought Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to New York. Sanchez hit .205 with a .282 OBP, 16 homers, and 61 RBIs with a 28.9% strikeout rate. His numbers were abysmal, but that is not anything too surprising given his struggles during his time donning the pinstripes.
The reason the Yankees would bring back Sanchez is to compete at the back end of the roster and hope he can revitalize his career. Defensively, he took a step in the right direction, ranking 23rd in catcher framing runs. He ranked 30th in strike rate, whereas the Yankees’ current starter, Treviño, ranked first with a 53.8% rate. Gary only accumulated four passed balls in 2022, the lowest mark in his entire career. He did also throw out 14 runners on 36 stolen base attempts, which is a good success rate.
If Gary’s willing to compete on a cheap deal, reuniting may end up being beneficial for both parties. Again, it would have to be an extremely affordable contract that would essentially be a blip on the radar of the Yankee salary allocations.