Former New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez revived his career in 2023. The 31-year-old caught on with the San Diego Padres for 72 games and helped Blake Snell win the NL Cy Young award.
Sanchez, who isn’t the perfect player by any means, hit 19 home runs and slashed .218/.292/.500 across 260 plate appearances. Getting that type of production from a catcher should find him another home this offseason as he looks to prove that he can still bring value to lineups.
What impressed most for Sanchez, outside of the offensive production, was his ability to play a major part in Snell’s season. He posted a pop time in the 86th percentile, framing in the 64th percentile, and a CS above average in the 77th percentile, according to BaseballSavant.
MLB.com released their best remaining free agents at each position and according to Mark Feinsand, he’s the best remaining free agent catcher.
Feinsand writes that two potential fits are the Los Angeles Angels and Boston Red Sox.
Sanchez was a member of the Yankees for seven seasons, hitting 33-plus home runs in two of them. The two-time All-Star struggled defensively, and prior to the 2022 season, New York believed it was a good time to move on from him.
The Yankees acquired Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa from the Minnesota Twins, in exchange for the slugging catcher and their starting third baseman Gio Urshela.
Looking back at the deal, it wasn’t a successful one for the team.
Donaldson and Kiner-Falefa didn’t provide much value and Urshela and Sanchez were fan favorites.
Now, the former New York catcher is looking for his next opportunity with a team in Major League Baseball.