Brewers reportedly add another power bat by signing catcher Gary Sánchez

The Milwaukee Brewers continue to try and round out the depth on their roster before arriving to spring training next week. 

The Brewers have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with free-agent catcher Gary Sánchez, according to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Sánchez, 31, hit 19 home runs in 75 games last year for the San Diego Padres and finished with a slash line of .217/.288/.492. It was the best season for the nine-year veteran at the plate since early in his career when he was regarded as one of the game’s premier young players with the New York Yankees. 

In the three years before his resurgent 2023 with San Diego, Sánchez batted .195 with a .681 OPS. 

Sánchez represents a notable upgrade at the backup catcher spot over the likes of Eric Haase and Austin Nola, both of whom signed with Milwaukee earlier in the off-season.

Haase is on a split contract but would have to clear waivers to remain with the organization if removed from the active roster, and Nola signed a minor-league deal that includes an invitation to major-league camp. 

Sánchez has mostly been an every day catcher. If he’s able to produce at that level again in 2024, it gives the Brewers the option of keeping William Contreras fresh while keeping his bat in the lineup with regular time at designated hitter. 

Despite a reputation as an offense-first catcher, Sánchez has graded out positively on defense, too. He was worth 6.6 runs above average on defense last year according to Fangraphs and has been worth 18 runs above average combined over the last four seasons. 

The one area of Sánchez’s defense in which he has struggled at times has been his pitch framing, an area Milwaukee excels at developing. 

Sánchez should aid the Brewers’ cause against left-handed pitching, as well. He hit .267 with nine homers and a .984 OPS in 36 games against lefties in 2023 and carries a .798 OPS against them in his career.

Milwaukee will need to make a corresponding move on its 40-man roster before making the signing official.

Brewers announce Jakob Junis signing

While the Sánchez deal has not been made official by the Brewers yet, the club did announce its other noteworthy recent acquisition Tuesday. Jakob Junis signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with a mutual option featuring a $3 million buyout.

The Brewers designated Clayton Andrews for assignment in a corresponding move. Andrews, drafted as a two-way player in 2018, became a full-time pitcher and made his MLB debut last year. He appeared in four games and allowed 10 earned runs in relief. 

Junis is expected to slot into the Brewers starting rotation after working primarily out of the bullpen last year with the San Francisco Giants. 

Junis and Sanchez represent $11 in 2024 salary added by the Brewers after trading away Corbin Burnes and his $15.6 million contract last week.