(Photo by Rob Tringali/Getty Images)
The New York Mets haven’t had any luck with their catchers in 2023.
They signed Omar Narvaez, a respected veteran, but he strained his calf in early April and is several weeks away from a return.
Tomas Nido has a .118 batting average in 55 plate appearances, and Francisco Alvarez is at .220.
They haven’t gotten virtually anything from their catchers, and they are desperate.
Gary Sanchez was, back in the late-2010s, an All-Star-caliber catcher.
His career started to take a downward turn after the 2019 season, in which he hit 34 home runs.
After that, he has failed to make consistent contact.
It doesn’t matter: the Mets are ready to try anything, and they are signing the 30-year-old slugger to a minor league deal.
The Mets are signing Gary Sanchez to a minor league contract.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) May 9, 2023
Sanchez had already signed a similar contract with the San Francisco Giants, but he was released according to his request when the team failed to call him up in early May.
He didn’t exactly earn a call-up, though, as he slashed .164/.319/.182 with no homers in 69 trips to the plate with the Giants’ Triple-A affiliate.
The Mets are hopeful he can at least re-capture the form he showed in 2021, when he homered 23 times and was a league-average hitter with his 100 wRC+.
Known as a defensive liability – particularly at blocking balls at the dirt – Sanchez needs to hit to be on a major league roster.
That will dictate his future with the Mets, but a couple of weeks of good production will likely earn him a ticket to the majors.
After all, he has 154 career homers as a backstop, which is not too shabby.
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