Yankees Stockpiling MiLB Catching Depth

With Gary Sánchez and Kyle Higashioka the only receivers on New York’s 40-man roster, the Yankees have added a few catchers on minor league deals.

The catching market was barren before the MLB lockout began, but neither of those obstacles have stopped the Yankees from adding backstops this winter.

New York has brought in three catchers on minor league deals in recent weeks, re-signing Rob Brantly and inking David Freitas and Rodolfo Durán. Gary Sánchez and Kyle Higashioka are the only catchers on New York’s 40-man roster, and top prospect Austin Wells hasn’t played above High-A ball yet, so the Yankees are stockpiling depth that they surely hope they don’t have to use in 2022.

Brantly, 32, played sparingly for the Yankees last season, appearing in six games. He picked up three hits in 21 plate appearances. The veteran spent the majority of the season at Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre, where he hit .289 over 68 games.

Freitas, meanwhile, began his 2021 season with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Kiwoom Heroes. He was waived after slashing .259/.297/.394 over 43 games and joined the Rays organization. He didn’t get a big-league promotion and chose free agency at the end of the year. Freitas has 59 games of MLB experience with Atlanta, Seattle and Milwaukee. The 32-year-old has posted impressive numbers at Triple-A, though, slashing .322/.401/.472 over 1,129 plate appearances.

READ: Yankees Bolster Catching Depth, Add Promising Bullpen Arm

Durán has never played in the majors. He reached Triple-A for the first time in 2021, playing in just four games for the Phillies’ Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Durán spent 31 games at Double-A, where he hit below .200. An international signing in 2014, the 23-year-old displayed power when he hit 18 homers at Single-A in 2018, and he owns a strong arm behind the plate.

If all goes according to plan, these three minor league signings won’t see much—or any—action for the Yankees in 2022. None will threaten Sánchez or Higashioka for their jobs, assuming those are the big league catchers the Yankees roll with next season.

There are no upgrades left in free agency, and the trade market could be low on supply and high on demand when the lockout ends. Willson Contreras, Mitch Garver, Carson Kelly and Sean Murphy are potential trade candidates, but each come with varying costs and levels of enticement.

In other words, there’s a good chance Sánchez and Higashioka will catch the bulk of New York’s games in 2022. And should there be times that they can’t, the Yankees will have a few temporary options waiting in the minors.

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