Ex-Yankees All-Star Slugger Linked To Red Sox; Would Boston Add Former Rival?

The Red Sox would welcome an upgrade behind the plate

Scott Neville | Jan 10, 2023

Ex-Yankees All-Star Slugger Linked To Red Sox; Would Boston Add Former Rival? /

In this story:

Boston Red Sox

Will the Boston Red Sox bolster their lineup by signing a former core member of the New York Yankees?

The Red Sox are in a bind at a few key positions, one of them being behind the plate.

Former Minnesota Twins and Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez remains available despite his impressive pedigree at just 30 years old.

"While a number of teams have filled their vacancy at catcher, the likes of the Red Sox, (Detroit) Tigers and (Miami) Marlins could be among the teams interested," MLB Trade Rumor's Simon Hampton wrote Sunday regarding Sánchez.

The two-time All-Star was once expected to perennially slug 40 home runs alongside Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as the most powerful trio in the league. That scenario did not play out as Yankees fans hoped.

Sánchez's batting average has taken a sharp turn for the worse since his first two seasons -- he hit .284 in his first two seasons and .202 in his last five -- but he's become a much better defender as of late and still has serious pop.

The right-handed slugger hit .205 with 40 extra-base hits including 16 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .659 OPS in 128 games a season ago with above-average defensive metrics.

The latter statement is quite a shock after all of his defensive misfortunes with the Yankees, but the Twins seemed to have improved upon his defense.

Still, Sánchez struck out 136 times, which was more than once per game. While he would add some much-needed power to the Red Sox's offense, his overall game would not be highly coveted in Boston.

Taking a chance on the continued breakout of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong would make more sense than investing in Sánchez, whose bat fell off dramatically in recent years despite being in the middle of his prime.

More MLB: Ex-Red Sox Hurler Joins Rockies In Attempt To Revitalize Career

Published Jan 10, 2023

SCOTT NEVILLE

Scott Neville covers the Boston Red Sox for Sports Illustrated's new page "Inside The Red Sox." Before starting "Inside The Red Sox", Neville attended Merrimack College, where he earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media with a minor in Marketing. Neville spent all four years with Merrimack's radio station WMCK, where he grew as a radio/podcast host and producer. His propensity for being in front of a microphone eventually expanded to film, where he produced multiple short films alongside his then-roommate and current co-worker Stephen Mottram. On a journey that began as a way to receive easy credits via film classes, he received a call from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" star Charlie Day. Day advised him to make a feature-length film, which he completed his senior year. While writing the film, Neville completed an internship for United Way as part of their NFL Partnership Program. Neville ran the blog for a team of interns and hosted an internet show called "United Way's NFL Partnership Series" where he interviewed NFL alumni. After college Neville wrote for SB Nation's "Over The Monster," a Red Sox sister site of the flagship brand. His work would eventually lead him to a job as a content producer with NESN, where he would cover all sports. After developing as a writer with the top regional network in the world, he was given the opportunity to join the Sports Illustrated Media Group in his current endeavor as the publisher of "Inside The Red Sox." The successful launch and quick rise of "Inside The Red Sox" led to Neville joining the Baseball Essential ownership group, a national baseball site under SIMG. Follow him on Twitter: @ScottNeville46 Email: nevilles@merrimack.edu