Mets Should Pursue Gary Sanchez

When Steve Cohen had his introductory press conference, he named the Los Angeles Dodgers as a model organization. What’s interesting about the Dodgers is how they got to this point.

While the focus has been on their spending might and analytics, there’s another thing they’ve done extraordinarily well. That’s find the player whose career hasn’t quite planned out, acquire him, and turn him into a good everyday player.

Mets fans are well acquainted with Justin Turner, but it goes beyond him. There’s also players like Max Muncy and Chris Taylor. Much of the current Dodgers run has been fueled by identifying cast offs and utility players and making them good everyday players.

That brings us to Gary Sanchez.

According to reports the once future superstar is on the trade bloc. That’s understandable considering two of his last three seasons have been below league average at the plate, his production has dropped off considerably since 2017, and he effectively lost his job to Kyle Higashioka this postseason.

Seeing all that has happened, the Yankees probably should investigate moving on from Sanchez. That goes double considering the free agents available. In doing that, the Yankees are risking a catcher entering his prime taking off with another team.

We’ve seen Sanchez show flashes of greatness. Over his first two seasons, he hit .283/.353/.567 (138 OPS+). In 2018, he had a strong framing season. He’s always had a strong arm with great pop times. However, these are just flashes.

Behind that is the passed balls and the extremely poor framing numbers for most of his career. When it looks like he’s improved one part of his game, the rest of it suffers.

For example, in 2019, Fangraphs noted Sanchez stopped allowing passed balls only for his framing to take a dive. This year, Sanchez did things to improve his framing only for him to suffer a career worst season at the plate.

How you look at Sanchez depends upon your worldview. If you’re glass half-empty, you see a guy who will never put it together. If you’re glass half-full, you see a 27 year old making improvements to his game and is poised for a huge breakout season at some point over the next 2-3 years.

If you have a franchise truly investing in analytics and player development, you should probably jump at the chance to obtain Sanchez. He’s one of the most purely talented players in the game, he’s shown the ability and willingness to address his deficiencies, and he’s likely going to come at a cheap cost.

If you obtain him, you could have a potential All-Star. His floor right now is backup and power bar off the bench. That’s not a bad thing to ever have. If you’re a forward thinking organization maybe you look to pair Sanchez with a Yadier Molina who could mentor him and help him get the most out of his abilities.

If you lose out on J.T. Realmuto and James McCann in free agency, this is an interesting Plan B or C. If you have the right organization in terms of player development, this could be the best option of all.

13 Replies to “Mets Should Pursue Gary Sanchez”

  1. Joe P says:

    I’d pass…Sanchez is by far the worst defensive catcher in baseball. His average the last 2 years is under 200. Why in the world would they want him.

    1. Mets Daddy says:

      He’s extraordinarily talented, and the team who figures him out will have a star.

  2. chris says:

    pass. Being strong up the middle..catcher, ss, 2b cf is important to winning. He is a terrible defensive catcher and may or may not hit consistently enough.

  3. Rich says:

    No, never ever. He is a lazy, terrible player with no baseball instincts and less class.

    Whats funny is hes fixable, but not intelligent enough to be fixed.

    1. Mets Daddy says:

      Considering the strides he’s made behind the plate, I’m uncomfortable calling him lazy.

      Also, as I noted, you don’t need to make him a starter.

  4. LongTimeFan1 says:

    Sanchez – Horrible defensive catcher. No thanks.

    1. Mets Daddy says:

      He’s made improvements and may well continue to do so, especially with the right coaching.

  5. Mike.BTB says:

    Wilpon era conditioning – does he fit your ideal? He’s too great a project, even as a backup. I’m likewise conditioned by a belief that players become available for a reason, usually not good. The best way to resolve catcher is perhaps by acquiring a short-term receiver and prioritizing the draft. It’s the only way to gain resolution through youth, talent, and length of years all wrapped up into one.

    1. Mets Daddy says:

      My issue is who do you have in the short term. After the top two guys, there’s nothing of value. With that being the case, I’m fine with Sanchez.

Comments are closed.