How Sánchez matches as Padres take flier on veteran catcher

This match felt like an apparent one from the second Sánchez was designated for project by the Mets final week, and it got here to fruition on Monday.

The Padres claimed Sánchez off waivers from New York in an try and bolster their underperforming catching state of affairs. For Sánchez, it marks his third group of the season. He started the yr with the Giants, although he by no means performed a sport for them, earlier than becoming a member of the Mets, the place he had one hit in six at-bats.

A nine-year veteran and a two-time All-Star with the Yankees, the 30-year-old Sánchez has largely struggled over the previous 4 seasons. But he was a worthwhile pickup for a group that has gotten the game’s worst manufacturing from its backstops this season, in line with fWAR.

“At the catching spot, we’re looking for some more productivity,” stated Padres normal supervisor A.J. Preller. “Gary’s a two-time All-Star, played on a good team in New York. He’s got some physical ability. I think it’s an opportunity, and a low-cost acquisition, to see if we can upgrade the catching spot and just change our mix for a little bit.”

How does Sánchez match?
Sánchez is anticipated to hitch the group in Miami this week. His arrival nearly definitely means both Brett Sullivan or Austin Nola can be optioned previous to Tuesday’s sequence opener.

From there, it is unclear simply how a lot enjoying time Sánchez would get. He’ll at the least get the chance to earn some.

“We’re not going into this with anybody playing ‘X’ number of days or anybody as the backup,” Preller stated. “The game and the players will dictate that, and we’ll let [Padres manager Bob Melvin] have the ability to make some of those decisions with our catching.”

Put merely: If Sánchez performs, there’s room for him to carve a task for himself in San Diego.

What to anticipate?
At his peak, Sánchez was one of many sport’s premier hitting catchers, having notched an .876 OPS in 2017 and an .841 mark in ’19, because the Yankees made a pair of journeys to the ALCS. Those offensive numbers masked some defensive shortcomings. But Sánchez nonetheless boasts an enormous arm behind the plate, and his framing numbers have been serviceable sufficient.

But over the previous 4 seasons, Sánchez has not been the identical participant offensively. He’s hit simply .195 with a .679 OPS because the begin of the 2020 season.

Then once more, the Padres aren’t essentially asking for Sánchez to be the 2019 model of himself. If they’ll get one thing splitting the distinction between the All-Star-caliber Sánchez and the model from the previous 4 seasons, effectively, that’d be an improve.

“We’re still seeing raw arm strength,” Preller stated. “From a framing standpoint, he is made some actual strides over the past three or 4 years. The capability to be a menace on the plate, I feel all these issues are there.

“From our standpoint, it’s about giving him some opportunity and seeing where that goes.”

How will he acclimate?
That’s the tough half. Sánchez is not merely slotting right into a lineup and being requested to hit. He’s a catcher. He’s going to should study a whole pitching employees on the fly, midseason.

“This guy’s played a lot of baseball,” Preller stated. “And we have some veteran pitchers that have thrown to a lot of different guys over the years. So I think that’s something we’ll be able to handle.”

It received’t be simple, and Sánchez’s current observe document urges tempered expectations. But the Padres wanted to seek out manufacturing at catcher someplace — particularly with 24-year-old backstop Luis Campusano seemingly out by means of the All-Star break following thumb surgical procedure.

As such, Sánchez was exactly the kind of participant price taking a flier on.