Tuesday Discussion: Bring Back Gary?

March 7, 2023

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This week we asked our writers the following:

The Yankees have had numerous injuries to their catchers. Gary Sanchez is out there. Should the Yankees offer him a contract?

Here are their replies:

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James Vlietstra - I am a believer that there’s no such thing as a bad minor league contract.

What harm would he do playing five days a week in Scranton?

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Tamar Chalker - I don’t see how it could hurt. I would absolutely give Gary another shot. I have always wanted to see him succeed.

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Lincoln Mitchell - No, the Yankees should not sign Gary Sanchez. On the right team, Sanchez could contribute, but the Yankees are not a great fit for him. He is a better defender than many think, but Sanchez is not exactly a glove first catcher. At this point in his career he does not hit well enough to contribute elsewhere. Additionally, he is a slow right handed slugger on a team that has not shortage of those.

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Paul Semendinger - I don't want to say yes. I don't want to. I can't say yes.

But, Austin Wells is hurt. Ben Rortvedt is hurt. Josh Breaux is hurt...

The rumors are that the Yankees might bring in Rob Brantly.

Gary Sanchez is a better back-up, a million times over, than Rob Brantly.

Regarding Gary Sanchez, I don't want to say yes. I can't say yes...

But...

Yes.

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Tim Kabel - no. The Yankee should not sign Gary Sanchez. There is no point in going backwards. Hopefully, Ben Rortvedt, Josh Breaux and Austin Wells will all recover quickly. if they don’t, and the Yankees, need an emergency catcher, I’m sure there is one that can be had rather inexpensively. Sanchez’s defensive limitations, would not serve him well as a back up.

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Mike Whiteman - The Yankees need catching depth, but it has to be depth they can store in AAA and utilize only if Trevino or Highashioka get injured or struggle. I cannot see Sanchez do well in this role.

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Andy Singer - I'm pretty sure that I've always been the president and one of the few members of the Gary Sanchez Fan Club. I really want to see Gary succeed somewhere, and I think that the Yankees are at least partially to blame for the drop-off in Gary's performance post-2019. Sanchez's agent has made some negative comments about Sanchez's time with the Yankees, so I have a hard time believing that Sanchez would want to return...but given the lack of catching depth the Yankees currently have, and the lack of offense I expect any of their catchers to produce, yes, I'd welcome Gary Sanchez back on a minor league deal. I find it very odd that he hasn't signed somewhere yet, so I'd imagine that he'd have to settle for something small at this point.