Fixing the starting lineup is one of the Red Sox’s top priorities this offseason, which means signing a powerful righty bat could happen relatively soon. The Sox had an imbalance in favor of lefty sluggers and they need it to normalize. The potential easiest way to do that is to target a slugging catcher.
Danny Jansen likely won’t return next year as he enters free agency this offseason, and Reese McGuire was DFA’ed in August. That means the Sox need to find someone to back up Connor Wong until prospect Kyle Teel comes up from Triple-A. To solve both the hole at catcher and the righty bat deficit, Chris Cotillo of MassLive suggests signing free agent Gary Sánchez.
Sánchez, a former New York Yankee, posted a slash line of .220/.307/.392 with 11 homers and 37 RBI in part-time duty (89 games). He played behind star catcher William Contreras with the Milwaukee Brewers.
After a resurgent stint with the Padres in 2023, Sánchez had trouble finding a new home for 2024. Eventually, the Brew Crew brought him aboard and it's becoming clear he could be a really good backup option for a lot of teams out there.
Signing Sánchez to a short-term deal would be a cost-effective way for the Sox to fill this roster void. And they can make life even worse for the Yankees by putting Sánchez in the lineup against them.
After helping the Brewers make the postseason and improving his at-bats, Sánchez is worth more than the $3 million he was paid by Milwaukee this year. If his mutual option isn’t exercised, Boston could sign him for one year in the $4.5-6 million range while they wait for Teel to grow into his role with the Sox.
The Sox were linked to Sánchez last offseason, but a deal never materialized. This year must be different. After experiencing disappointing offense and defense at catcher when Wong was on the bench, the Sox can’t afford to repeat their mistake in 2025. Sánchez’s forward momentum and past success show he’s a great option in a bottom-heavy catcher free-agent class.
And wouldn’t Sox fans want nothing more than to see him come up big against the Yankees next year? That would be well worth his contract.