According to reports, the Milwaukee Brewers are set to ink a contract with Gary Sánchez, a free agent catcher. The agreement is said to be for a duration of one year, with a mutual option included, and guarantees a sum of $7 million. It should be noted that the team’s 40-man roster is currently at maximum capacity, meaning a corresponding roster adjustment will be necessary once the deal is officially announced.
Sánchez, aged 31, had a frustrating time finding employment last year but capitalized on the opportunity when it finally came. Initially, he inked a minor league agreement with the Giants but chose to opt out when they refused to offer him a spot on the roster. He then secured another minor league deal with the Mets and did receive a call-up to the major leagues, but was swiftly placed on waivers.
The Padres swooped in and claimed him, providing the break he needed. During his time with San Diego, he made 260 plate appearances across 72 games, smacking 19 home runs in that short span. While his batting average and on-base percentage were not particularly high, it is worth noting that his .218/.292/.500 batting line resulted in a wRC+ of 115, indicating that he performed 15% better than the average hitter in the league.
Throughout his career, Sánchez has always possessed power, but his defensive abilities have been questionable. However, there have been signs of improvement over time. Defensive Runs Saved has given him positive ratings in the past two years, including a +7 mark in 2023. FanGraphs, Statcast, and Baseball Prospectus have all recognized his positive pitch framing skills over the past two seasons. While his throwing arm has always been considered strong, his blocking skills have also seen improvement in recent seasons.
Unfortunately, Sánchez’s strong campaign in 2023 was cut short due to a wrist fracture in early September. Despite this setback and a delayed start to the season, he managed to participate in 72 games with the Padres, contributing 1.8 wins above replacement according to FanGraphs and 2.5 as calculated by Baseball Reference.
In addition to his on-field performance, Sánchez’s time with the Padres coincided with Blake Snell’s breakout last year. Snell struggled with a 5.04 earned run average in his first 10 outings but finished strong with a remarkable 1.18 ERA over his final 22 starts. Sánchez caught 18 of those 22 games, with Snell speaking positively about their relationship during the season.
Despite his impressive season, there are still concerns surrounding Sánchez. As mentioned earlier, he struggled with blocking earlier in his career and has not been a consistent high-average or on-base hitter, apart from the early stages of his career. He has also faced occasional issues with strikeouts, with a career strikeout rate of 26.8%, slightly above the average. Additionally, his power numbers dipped in 2022, as he only hit 16 home runs in 128 games with the Twins that year.
However, when considering the overall package, Sánchez remains an appealing player. Apart from his power outage in 2022, he has consistently hit 20-35 home runs or has been on pace to do so. While his defense has been a struggle, it has shown improvement over time. Since 2016, he has produced at least 1.3 fWAR in every full season. Even when excluding his strong start to his career and focusing on the period from 2018 to the present, he ranks 10th among active catchers in fWAR.
Despite receiving interest from the Padres and Pirates, Sánchez ultimately landed with the Brewers. The Brewers already have an excellent catcher in William Contreras, suggesting that Sánchez may serve as a backup catcher and part-time designated hitter. While Sánchez has fairly neutral platoon splits throughout his career, he excelled against left-handed pitchers last year. Against lefties, he recorded a batting line of .267/.304/.680 with a wRC+ of 162, while his numbers against righties were .194/.282/.406 with a 90 wRC+.
The Brewers have a surplus of outfielders, which may require Sánchez to split designated hitter duties with them. However, this platoon situation could work well, as Christian Yelich, Garrett Mitchell, Sal Frelick, and Jake Bauers are all left-handed hitters. Sánchez could provide Contreras with occasional rest behind the plate while also taking at-bats away from the outfield group by serving as the DH against tough left-handed pitchers. This signing may not bode well for Eric Haase, who joined the Brewers in December. Haase is primarily known for his batting skills but struggled at the plate in 2023. While he can also play the outfield, the Brewers have numerous players vying for outfield positions. As Haase is out of options, he may find himself squeezed off the roster at some point.
The Brewers have been active in recent weeks, making several moves such as signing Rhys Hoskins, trading Corbin Burnes to the Orioles, signing Jakob Junis, and now acquiring Sánchez. The loss of Burnes weakens their rotation, along with the departure of Brandon Woodruff, who underwent shoulder surgery. However, with the additions of Hoskins and Sánchez, along with the potential debut of center field prospect Jackson Chourio, the Brewers’ offense may compensate for the losses.
In the previous season, the Brewers allowed the fewest runs in the league with 647, while scoring 728 runs, which was average. It is possible that they may concede a few more runs this year but also score more. Considering their recent activity, it is evident that the Brewers may not be finished making moves. According to Roster Resource, their current payroll stands at $111MM, significantly lower than last year’s figure of $126MM.
The signing of Sánchez by the Brewers was first reported by Jon Heyman of The New York Post, who also mentioned the $7MM guarantee. Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report the existence of a mutual option for 2025.