Ex-Yankees Slugger May Make Sense For Cardinals After Latest Injury News

The Cardinals may need to look to free agency to add a new catcher

The St. Louis Cardinals got some bad news Thursday.

St. Louis fell in its 2023 season opener against the Toronto Blue Jays, but to make matters even worse, new catcher Willson Contreras was forced to leave the contest due to a right knee contusion. 

Contreras was struck by a 102.7 miles per hour fastball directly to the knee in the eighth inning of Thursday's loss and was forced to leave the game. Although a timeline for recovery hasn't been announced as of Friday morning if Contreras were to miss an extended period a signing of former New York Yankees and Minnesota Twins slugger Gary Sanchez would make sense. 

Sanchez still is a free agent even with Opening Day already behind us, but he's a two-time All-Star and eight-year MLB veteran. The former Yankee has been known throughout his career for power, lack of contact, and subpar defense. The power is still there as he clubbed 16 long balls in 2022 for Minnesota and 23 for New York in 2021. His lack of contact also is still there as he slashed an abysmal .205/.282/.377 in 2022 with the Twins/ 

One major difference with Sanchez is his defense. At one point he was one of if not the worst defensive catchers in all of baseball. In 2022, Sanchez appeared in 128 games for the Twins and saw time at both catcher and first base. His defense behind the plate improved to the point where Minnesota finished in the middle of the pack in catcher defense. He may not be the best defensive catcher in the league, but he has shown improvement. 

Hopefully, Contreras is just day-to-day and able to return to the field very soon. If not, Sanchez may be a solid option to help hold over the club until Contreras can get back on the field. Sanchez is a veteran with upside and at this point, one of a few solid players still available in free agency. The former Yankee should be able to get ready for the season quickly as well after playing in the World Baseball Classic. 

The first thing St. Louis needs to do is get an update on Contreras' knee. Once they have more information, maybe a signing of Sanchez should be next to provide more depth. 

More MLB: Two Important Cardinals Players Already Dealing With Injuries After Opening Day Loss