{"id":66308,"date":"2024-02-05T09:00:03","date_gmt":"2024-02-05T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=66308"},"modified":"2024-02-05T00:01:37","modified_gmt":"2024-02-05T05:01:37","slug":"pirates-interest-gary-sanchez","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2024\/02\/05\/pirates-interest-gary-sanchez\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pirates Have Interest in Gary Sanchez. What Could It Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates are reported to be among the teams that have shown interest in free-agent catcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/sanchga02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Gary Sanchez<\/a>. Of course, \u201cshowing interest\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that a signing is imminent. But it\u2019s telling as far as what the Pirates think of their catching situation.<\/p>\n<p>The 2023 season ended with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=rodrien01,rodrig002end&amp;search=Endy+Rodriguez&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Endy Rodriguez<\/a> as the Pirates\u2019 primary catcher. He hit .220\/.284\/.328, 3 HR, 13 RBI in 57 games. Defensively, he showed potential, nailing 30 percent of would-be base stealers while being worth three Defensive Runs Saved. Unfortunately, Rodriguez is out for the season after arm surgery, hence the need to shore up the catcher\u2019s spot.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Pirates Have Shown Interest In Gary Sanchez <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RsVceqOtOx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/RsVceqOtOx<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/snMrK1np45\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/snMrK1np45<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/mlbtraderumors\/status\/1753598098599780391?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 3, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Pirates Showing Interest in Gary Sanchez<\/h2>\n<h3>Who is Sanchez?<\/h3>\n<p>Sanchez, 31, is best known for his tenure with the New York Yankees. There, he was a two-time All-Star and runner-up for the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year Award. \u00a0He was thought to be a <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2017\/01\/14\/top-5-american-league-catchers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">rising star<\/a> among American League catchers. He has also played for the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets, and San Diego Padres. His lifetime slash line is .225\/.309\/.469 with 173 HR and 448 RBI. He belted 33 home runs in 2017 and a career-high 34 in 2019. Although the right-handed batter hasn\u2019t put up those kinds of home run totals since, he remains a threat to hit the ball out of the park, doing so 19 times with the Padres last season. His slash line has declined in recent years as well. Combining 2016 and 2017, Sanchez hit .284\/.354\/.569, but he hasn\u2019t come close to those figures since.<\/p>\n<p>Once maligned for his work behind the plate, his defense has improved as his offense has declined. For his career, he\u2019s been \u201cworth\u201d -21 Fielding Runs Above Average and zero Defensive Runs Saved. However, in 2023, he turned those figures around to two and seven, respectively. In terms of Defensive Runs Saved, the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fieldingbible.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Fielding Bible<\/a> ranked him tied as the eighth-best catcher in baseball last year. However, that site also gives him -1 Strike Zone Runs Saved, a measure of the all-important pitch framing skill, which places him middle-of-the-pack. In 2022 and 2023, his caught-stealing percentages were slightly above the major league average. Sanchez would eventually become <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/snellbl01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Blake Snell<\/a>\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/mlb\/padres\/news\/padres-news-former-san-diego-catcher-could-follow-blake-snell-in-free-agency-ml0802\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">personal catcher<\/a> en route to Snell\u2019s second Cy Young Award. That&#8217;s a ringing endorsement for the Pirates or any team with interest in Sanchez.<\/p>\n<h3>A Former Number One Pick Lurks<\/h3>\n<p>Pirates general manager Ben Cherington is on record saying that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/davishe01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henry Davis<\/a>, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2021\/05\/27\/henry-davis-2021-mlb-draft-profile\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">number one overall pick in the 2021 June Amateur Draft<\/a>, will get every opportunity to be the starting catcher in 2024. Don\u2019t be so sure. Other than a few public statements expressing confidence in his abilities as a catcher \u2013 what else would you expect them to say? \u2013 the actions of Cherington and his like-minded, analytically hip manager <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/managers\/sheltde99.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Derek Shelton<\/a> speak loudly to the contrary.<\/p>\n<p>Last year, Davis was called up around the same time as fellow catching prospect Rodriguez. The Pirates resolved the issue of playing time for two catchers by converting Davis to right field, although it was Rodriguez who had minor league experience in the outfield and at first and second base. In right field, Davis showed a strong arm but did not field well. At bat, Davis produced a slash line of .213\/.302\/.351, with 7 homers and 24 RBI in 62 games.<\/p>\n<h3>What Would Happen to Davis?<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s clear that Cherington and Shelton view the catcher as a defense-first position. Since taking over the Pirates in 2020, they\u2019ve preferred defensive catchers at the expense of offense. These have included light hitters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/s\/stallja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jacob Stallings<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mailelu01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luke Maile<\/a> (who never got to play for the Pirates due to an injury), <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/murphjr01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John Ryan Murphy<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=perezmi03,perez-011mic,perez-010mic&amp;search=Michael+Perez&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Michael Perez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/d\/delayja01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Jason Delay<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/heinety01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Tyler Heineman<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=perezro02,perez-017rob&amp;search=Roberto+P\u00e9rez&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Roberto Perez<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/search\/search.fcgi?pid=knappan01,knapp-002and&amp;search=Andrew+Knapp&amp;utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew Knapp<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/h\/hedgeau01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Austin Hedges<\/a>. Pitch-framing skills are highly valued in the Pirates\u2019 organization as well.<\/p>\n<p>Davis must develop these skills to see significant playing time wearing \u201cthe tools of ignorance\u201d with Pittsburgh. However, if he reaches his potential on offense, his bat will be sorely needed in the Pirates\u2019 lineup. What to do if the Pirates&#8217; interest in Sanchez results in a contract? One possible play would be to use Davis as a designated hitter. Another, less-discussed play, would be to send Davis to the minors to develop his defensive skills. He does have minor-league options remaining. The hope might be for Sanchez to play well enough to be traded at the deadline. By that time, Davis hopefully will have acquired sufficient experience and instruction in the minors.<\/p>\n<h3>What Would Happen to Delay?<\/h3>\n<p>Most speculation has Sanchez and Davis sharing the catching duties while Delay, who also has options, goes to the minors. Again, don\u2019t be so sure. In 2023, which was pitcher <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/k\/kellemi03.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mitch Keller<\/a>\u2019s All-Star season, Delay was being used as his personal catcher. It\u2019s unknown whose idea that was, Keller\u2019s or Shelton\u2019s. However, it seems unlikely that Keller, in his third full season, had that kind of leverage. Rather, it was likely Shelton\u2019s idea. In any case, Shelton plainly liked that combination. He may not want to break it up. Moreover, the Fielding Bible credits Delay with five Strike Zone Runs Saved. That ranking places him tied for eighth in all of baseball, indicating he has the framing skills the Pirates like.<\/p>\n<h3>How Would Sanchez Fit?<\/h3>\n<p>On one hand, Sanchez doesn\u2019t have the on-base skills the Cherington\/Shelton regime values. On the other hand, as noted, they haven\u2019t looked at the catching position as an offense-first position. With Sanchez\u2019s power, he\u2019d certainly provide more offense than others who have been used there in recent years. Due to his improved defense, Sanchez should be a plus player overall for the Pirates and worthy of their interest.<\/p>\n<p>Sanchez&#8217;s presence in the lineup would bump Davis, if not to the minors, into a designated hitter\/right field rotation that already includes <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/m\/mccutan01.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Andrew McCutchen<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/o\/olivaed02.shtml?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-02-04_br\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Edward Olivares<\/a>. In turn, that could force <a href=\"https:\/\/www.baseball-reference.com\/players\/p\/palacjo01.shtml\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Joshua Palacios<\/a>, a valuable pinch hitter in 2023, to the minors. Often these problems solve themselves, with a player getting injured or falling into a slump. Still, they\u2019re nice problems to have for a team that\u2019s spent the past few years trying to figure out whether they even had enough good players.<\/p>\n<h3>The Fall-Out Elsewhere<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s known that Cherington has the authority to increase the payroll, but we don\u2019t know by how much. Thus, it\u2019s unknown whether signing Sanchez would preclude Cherington from continuing to look for help for the starting rotation. Perhaps Cherington is losing faith that another starter can be acquired and is looking to allocate those dollars elsewhere.<\/p>\n<h3>The Last Word<\/h3>\n<p>It takes two to make a deal. Sanchez has other options in this thin market for catchers. The reality is that a player with other options won\u2019t sign with the Pirates until they show they are winners. It will be interesting to see if anything comes of their interest in Sanchez.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Photo Credit: \u00a9 Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Pirates are reported to be among the teams that have shown interest in free-agent catcher Gary Sanchez. Of course, \u201cshowing interest\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that a signing is imminent. But it\u2019s telling as far as what the Pirates think of their catching situation. The 2023 season ended with Endy Rodriguez as the Pirates\u2019 primary [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5010,"featured_media":66326,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,2,1071],"tags":[6225,40,4875,6297],"class_list":["post-66308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pirates","category-featured","category-mlb","tag-endy-rodriguez","tag-gary-sanchez","tag-henry-davis","tag-jason-delay"],"modified_by":"Lewis Masella, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66308","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5010"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=66308"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/66308\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/66326"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=66308"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=66308"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=66308"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}