Gary Sanchez Finds A New Home, In National League

We proposed the next possible destinations for former All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez here only yesterday, and sure enough, it took just one day for the former New York Yankee and (very briefly) New York Met to land his next gig with one of those teams. And this time it's a major league deal.

BREAKING: The San Diego Padres are signing Gary Sanchez, per @Miriamluzzzz. https://t.co/NMHLqDPEIC

— Héctor Gómez (@hgomez27) May 29, 2023

The San Diego Padres are the 3rd big league franchise this year to take a chance on Sanchez, claiming him off waivers from the New York Mets, who DFA'd him after just three games. He was also previously signed to a minor league deal with the San Francisco Giants earlier this season, but was never called up to the big club, and opted out of his contract there.  

The Padres are presumably willing to try anything to help out their catching, as it currently ranks 29th in the majors in slugging and OPS. They've had a total of just three home runs from their backstops. Brett Sullivan (.170, one HR) and Austin Nola (.131, one HR) have not been the answer. 

And if there's one thing Sanchez has the potential to do, at least, it's hit home runs. He had two 30+ HR seasons with the Yankees before his ability to make contact took a precipitous drop in 2020 (when his .147 with the Bombers), and never really recovered since then. 

Sanchez has hit .210 in 24 Triple-A games this season, but with only one longball. In three games with the Mets, he went 1-for-6. 

Photo: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports