Ex-Yankees All-Star Reportedly Available; Should Cardinals Give Him Chance To Revive Career?
The St. Louis Cardinals have plenty of work to do.
St. Louis is 10-20 through 30 games and currently is in last place in the National League Central. The Cardinals' starting rotation has drawn the most criticism due to inconsistent play, but the club should see an improvement in the near future with three-time All-Star Adam Wainwright set to return.
The Cardinals' offense has been impressive at times but also has seen inconsistent play at times so far in the young season. St. Louis seemingly is set at catcher with three-time All-Star Willson Contreras as the club's starter, but it wouldn't hurt to add more depth behind him.
One player who could fit this description well is former New York Yankees All-Star slugger Gary Sanchez. The 30-year-old spent the 2022 season with the Minnesota Twins and clubbed 16 home runs and drove in 61 runs. Sanchez appeared in 128 games and slashed .205/.282/.377 but failed to sign a big league contract as a free agent this past offseason.
In March, Sanchez signed a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants but failed to get his footing at the Triple-A level and was never called up to the big league club. The two-time All-Star reportedly opted out of his minor league contract after not being called up to the big leagues Tuesday, according to The Athletic's Andrew Baggarly.
Contreras is St. Louis' clear-cut starter and will be for years to come. Andrew Knizner has been the Cardinals' backup this season and has appeared in 10 games and has slashed .138/.194/.138. In 2022, Knizner slashed .215/.301/.300 in 96 appearances for the Cardinals.
Adding Sanchez as a big league backup or minor league depth piece could make some sense for St. Louis. Sanchez is just 30-years-old so it wouldn't be too out of the realm of possibility that he could eventually get back on track. The former Yankees' defense has improved over the years and he could provide extra power off the bench for a team that is tied for 19th in the league in home runs with just 32.
At this point, Sanchez likely is looking for any opportunity he could get. If St. Louis could sign him to a minor league deal and he impressed, maybe he could take over the backup catcher position at some point. There is no downside as he likely won't cost much at all, but he is an eight-year veteran and former All-Star so at least there is some upside.
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