Former Padres Catcher Opts Out of Deal With AL Team, Could Friars Bring Him Back?

A reunion on the way?

The San Diego Padres have been watching a ton of their former players move all over the place the past couple of weeks but also haven't paid too much attention. They are in the midst of an important stretch of baseball where they are trying to get back on a winning track after a rough first two months.

It looks like their front office is starting to figure things out though as Gary Sanchez was welcomed to the clubhouse just a few days ago after getting released by the New York Mets. This one was a no-brainer considering how poorly Austin Nola has played since the season opener and since Luis Campusano is still out for some time after undergoing thumb surgery.

Sanchez is already looking very comfortable in his new threads, take a look at his most recent home run against the Miami Marlins on Thursday.

Gary Sánchez is BACK pic.twitter.com/Cxy3c5YJKm

— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) June 1, 2023

However, another veteran catcher just became available and maybe the Padres will look to jump on him as well. Jorge Alfaro, who actually suited up in 82 games with San Diego in 2022, just opted out of his deal with the Red Sox and is free to sign with any team of his choice.

This news was first reported by Chris Cotillo.

Source: Jorge Alfaro is opting out of his deal with the Red Sox and testing free agency.

— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) June 1, 2023

Source: Jorge Alfaro is opting out of his deal with the Red Sox and testing free agency.

Alfaro was pretty solid when he rocked the purple and gold as he batted .246 and connected on seven homers in his short stint. He seemed a different role elsewhere but the Red Sox made it clear that no matter how good he was performing, they were focusing on their younger options at catcher.

Sanchez has already been amazing for the Friars so why not add yet another experienced guy at that spot until Campusano is back.