The San Diego Padres have added to their much-talked-about catcher position.
However, the new catcher is a former free agent who has been labeled a “bust.
According to Reuters, the Padres have acquired Gary Sanchez from the New York Mets for a player to be designated for assignment. This comes four days after the Mets designated Sanchez for assignment on the 26th.
Sanchez became a free agent after last year’s season, but was unable to find a team. After representing the Dominican Republic at the WBC in March, he signed a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants shortly thereafter to start over.
But after batting just .164 (10-for-55) in 16 games at Triple-A, and with a promotion to the big leagues pending, he exercised his opt-out and packed his bags again. A week after signing a minor league deal with the Mets, Sanchez tried again, hitting .308 in eight games at Triple-A before being sent down again after going 1-for-6 (.167) in three games.
The Padres called him up because their catching staff is so thin. The Padres have been alternating between Austin Nola and Brett Sullivan in a platoon system. But their bats are terrible. Nola is hitting .131 in 39 games, while Sullivan is hitting .170 in 21 games. Nola is also a poor defender, with a stolen base rate of just 8.3% (3 caught in 36 attempts). Sullivan, on the other hand, has caught two of his seven stolen base attempts to “boast” a 28.6% rate.
That said, it’s doubtful that Sanchez will help on both sides of the ball. In 128 games with the Minnesota Twins last year, as well as this year, he batted .205 먹튀검증 (86-for-419) with 16 home runs and a .659 OPS. His career batting average is just .225. However, he does have power. He hit 33 and 34 home runs for the New York Yankees in 2017 and 2019, respectively. He’s hit 154 home runs in his career, but he’s too inaccurate and his power has declined past the age of 30.
Sanchez’s deal with the Mets is for one year and $1.5 million. San Diego will only have to pay him $1.1 million for the rest of the season.
San Diego’s other catcher, Luis Camposano, underwent surgery for a thumb injury and could return after the All-Star break. In the meantime, the Padres signed Kevin Plawecki to a minor league deal nine days ago, and he’s currently playing in Triple-A.
The truth is, San Diego doesn’t have a catcher problem. The hitting slump is so severe that most of the starters need a wake-up call. With the exception of Juan Soto and Ha-Sung Kim, they have more bad days than good. If you look at their May batting averages, Soto is hitting .333, Ha Sung Kim is hitting .282, Lugendo Odor is hitting .278), and Fernando Tatis Jr. is hitting .238.