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Joseph Zucker is the featured Columnist for December 1, 2021.
G Fiume is a photographer.
According to Jeff Passan, the New York Yankees offered Gary Sanchez a contract.
The deadline was Tuesday at 8 p.m. The time is later.
The final year he's eligible for arbitration before hitting free agency, Spotrac estimated, would see him earn $7.5 million.
The veteran catcher struggled at the plate in 2021, despite his improved performance over the previous season. He had 23 home runs but slugged.423 and had a 99 OPS+.
The value on defense was limited. He sat 55th on the catcher's framing board.
The Yankees made the right decision in committing to the 28-year-old.
Kyle Higashioka is under team control through 2024, but starting a catcher with a.619 career OPS is less than ideal.
Austin Wells is the highest-ranked catcher in the Yankees' system, and he isn't expected to hit the majors until 2023.
Brian Cashman acknowledged that the team was exploring all avenues behind the plate but that it wasn't a buyer's market.
Gary and Kyle are our catchers, unless we find something that can upgrade that and make it better. We are talking to see if there are any options. The market is very thin. It was last year, and I can say that it is that way again this year. We can explore potential options that exist out there. We'll go back with what we have if not.
He probably won't repeat his first two years. He had a.384 slash line and had 53 home runs and 132 runs in 175 games. The two-time All-Star has a good baseline in terms of power.
Danny Vietti has a message for him.
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Garynchez has a.200 batting average since the beginning of the year, but he still has 558 total bases and 202 runs scored.
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He has the 2nd-most HR among all MLB catchers during that time.
Maybe the Yankees can get an upgrade over the other team, but one isn't forthcoming in free agency.
The Miami Herald's Craig Mish reported that the Chicago Cubs and Roberto Perez had agreed to two-year, $13 million deals.
New York has more time to find a long-term solution at catcher.
