The Giants agree to a Minor League deal for veteran catcher Gary Sanchez, according to a report by Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal on Friday. The club did not confirm the news.
Sanchez, 30, is expected to report to the club’s spring training headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona, before joining a Minor league affiliate. He will have the power to opt out of his deal if he is not promoted to Majors by May 1, according to Rosenthal.
Traded from the Yankees to the Twins with Gio Orchilla for Josh Donaldson, Isiah Keener-Valeva and Ben Rortvedt last March, Sanchez has hit .205/.282/.377 (89 OPS+) with 16 homers and 61 RBIs over 128 games. for Minnesota in 2022. It marks the third consecutive backstop season with an OPS+ sub-100, which is the league average.
Sanchez broke onto the scene with the Bronx Bombers in 2016, hitting 20 homers in 53 games and finishing second behind Michael Fulmer for AL Rookie of the Year. After following that up with 33 homers, 90 RBIs, and a . 876 OPS in 2017, Sanchez seemed to be an integral part of New York’s young core along with Aaron Judge, Jiliber Torres, and Luis Severino.
However, declining offensive production and criticism about his defense has marked his last few seasons on pinstripes.
After being dealt to Minnesota, Sanchez opened 2022 splitting time between DH and catcher spots, but was forced back to regular duty behind the plate after Ryan Jeffers had right thumb surgery in July.
The Giants have carried three players — Joey Bart, Roberto Perez and base 5 draftee Blake Sabol — to their Opening Day roster this year, but each comes with question marks, creating uncertainty about the club’s long-term outlook behind the plate.
Bart, 26, hasn’t developed as quickly as the Giants had hoped when they selected him second overall in the 2018 draft, posting a 38.5% strike rate as he struggles to overcome some defensive shortcomings in 2022.
San Francisco didn’t guarantee Bart a roster spot at the start of the spring, though he did earn a spot in the mix with a solid performance during Cactus League play. However, the Giants elected to give the starting nod to Perez in Thursday’s 5-0 Opening Day loss to the Yankees, with Bart entering the game as a defensive replacement in the eighth inning.
“I think Roberto is a quiet presence behind the board,” said artistic director Gabe Kapler. “On a day like today, it really helps to be kind of simple. Joey has a lot of those qualities too. I don’t want to take that away from him. But I’m going to be speaking specifically [Pérez] A calming presence that puts everyone at ease. We know he’ll be ready. Theater is good for him. Nothing will overshadow it. He felt it was the right choice to work with Logan [Webb]. “
Perez, 34, won two Gold Glove Awards during his eight-year career in Cleveland, but he came with some durability concerns after appearing in only 65 games over the past two seasons due to injuries. Sabol, 25, is a converted outfielder still working to hone his catching skills, and he made his major league debut in left field on Thursday.
Austin Wiens was the odd man out for the Giants’ catch this spring, but he remained an option at Triple-A Sacramento as well.
“Alcohol enthusiast. Twitter ninja. Tv lover. Falls down a lot. Hipster-friendly coffee geek.”