The Giants and second baseman Yolmer Sanchez are in agreement on a minor league contract, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. The MVP Sports client will be in Major League camp as a non-roster invitee and will vie for everyday at-bats at second base.
Still just 27 years old, Sanchez was cut loose by the White Sox in late November despite taking home Gold Glove honors for his work at second base in 2019. Sanchez racked up 11 Defensive Runs Saved and a 4.9 Ultimate Zone Rating, although Statcast’s Outs Above Average was a bit more tepid in giving him a +2 mark.
Defensive excellence notwithstanding, Sanchez has never shown that he can hit much at the big league level. A 2017 season in which he slashed .267/.319/.413 stands out as his best year with the bat, and in the two seasons since that time, he’s combined for a dreary .246/.311/.349 output in more than 1200 trips to the dish. In all, Sanchez is a career .244/.299/.357 hitter in 2438 plate appearances. If he’s able to make the club, he’d be controllable through the 2021 season via arbitration.
With the Giants, he’ll push up-and-coming Mauricio Dubon for the everyday nod at second base. Dubon, a rather well-regarded shortstop prospect acquired in July’s Drew Pomeranz deal, batted .274/.306/.434 in his big league debut this past season — a total of 111 plate appearances. He’s a career .299/.339/.474 hitter in parts of three Triple-A campaigns, though, and gives the Giants a longer-term option with more all-around upside at second base than does Sanchez.
Rosenthal indicates that Sanchez had Major League offers this winter but opted for a minor league pact in San Francisco to compete for a regular role. That, presumably, says more about the quality of said big league offers as it does about Sanchez’s chances of winning the job with the Giants. Sanchez was projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $6.2MM in arbitration prior to being placed on waivers, and his rejection of MLB offers serves as an indicator that none were close to that range. More likely is that other clubs had eyes on using him in a utility capacity, and he’ll instead hope to parlay this nonguaranteed deal into a more prominent role.
Nice pickup for the Giants. Good Insurance if Dubon struggles.
Yolmer belongs in the Majors!
I don’t care which position they would platoon him, but Yolmer is a fan favorite and belongs on the ChiSox!!
Good luck Yolmer (Carlos)!
Business – As a Sox fan, I understand why he isn’t with the Sox (6m+) arbitration salary. Should be but good luck to him.
Gold glover. Makes team in spring.
It’s hard to see him in a Sox uniform or not call him Carlos.
Class act. Good luck Yolmer
Not as a starting infielder, but he’s an excellent bench guy/utility player that might get nontendered again if he doesn’t much hit better than he did last year.
Dewey belongs in the hall?
1200 at bats that wsox wasted on what should have been a part time/utility player at best
Also, if Giants can pry Nick Senzel from the Reds (say for Brandon Crawford, cash to pay down Craw’s contract and a B-level pitching prospect), Dubon could move to SS and Sanchez and Solano could duke it out for 2b. Senzel would play CF for SF and lead off. But Cincy probably wants more.
Cincy will want a lot more.
Agreed. That’s what I said. Plus Craw has to lose some weight to keep his glove solid.
Right – I think this move threatens Crawford more than Dubon as long as Dubon picks up where he left off.
cueto
As it should. If Crawford is still fat, slow, and unable to hit come spring training he should be released.
It’s going to take a lot more than that for the Giants to get Senzel. They’d want someone better than Crawford, and something better than a B-level pitching prospect. No doubt they’d get better offers from other teams that want also want Senzel.
I’m sure you’re right. And that’s what I said in the original post.
Like that thinking. This signing may indicate Giants may be making another move. Sanchez could play every day with Dubon at SS.
Dump Crawford
Nobody is trading for Crawford. He is fat and slow and can’t hit. I hope we DFA him. We gave him a fat contract and he got fat.
Of course, but let’s say he comes to camp thinner. He’s still got the glove and if his bat comes up a bit, he would be an asset in Cincy. Although, as I said, it’s more a pipe dream because of what you say and because Cincy is going to want more. But a guy can dream, can’t he? (Senzel sure would fit nicely in CF for SF).
The problem is your post is totally unrealistic, and full of conjecture; that Crawford will lose weight, that the Reds would want him even if he did, or that a lot of teams wouldn’t make much better offers than that.
It’s kind of like why bother to make that post? Why make a trade proposal that’s not close to being realistic, and then qualify it by adding that the Reds would probably want more? It’s not really any different from me saying to trade Brandon Belt with a couple prospects for Mike Trout, but the Angels would probably want more. Adding that Cincy would probably want more would be a valid qualifier if your proposal was closer to being realistic.
You’re probably right.
Thanks, dad.
Actually I find your comment more unrealistic. He’s comment yes, is self defeating but can lead to meaningful discussion. If we further discuss what more Cincy would want and how much salary. But unfortunately we must tear down ideas/dreams (even ones stated as pipe dreams) then further the conversation. Its not a personal attack and you don’t need to try to make him feel like an idiot with your post. To be honest at least he knows his trade is ridiculous, most people on here think they can trade a garbage bin prospect for the best player of any team, But yet still we discuss those trades. Why not further this one?
Thank you.
Kirk I remember you being nicer. Too much time alone in the Shed?
Ok Woody, Here goes !!
Brandon Crawford has a
NO TRADE CLAUSE IN HIS CONTRACT !! He can only be traded if he agrees to it.
So all you junior GM’s out their get your facts straight before you make dumb ass comments. Any time Crawford’s name comes up and someone wants to trade him they need to get a clue.
Same goes for Posey FULL NO TRADE CLAUSE and BELT HAS A PARTIAL NO TRADE CLAUSE. If you want to talk about trades, I’m all for it, but know what the hell your talking about first.
As a matter of fact I would like to trade all the commenters that don’t have a clue…………….. I have to go call the REDS, they might take you guys from
MLB TRADE RUMORS. Wouldn’t that
be a great trade !!!!!!!
No trade clauses are just a negotiation w/ agent. Every year players are traded w/ no trade clauses. Historically, the team trading ( Giants ) provide financial compensation to the player for agreeing to be traded.
But as already mentioned, Crawford seems unmovable for different reasons.
Regardless of trade value , Given his lousy performance Crawford is certainty a DFA candidate. If Zaidi can plug in someone better he’ll DFA him
If a post is to be a seed for growth of a discussion it has to be a viable seed. Look at all the responses that basically say the same thing; that that trade is not close to realistic.
I had no intention of making him feel like an idiot, and if I did, I apologize. My first response only stated that his proposal was not enough, and other teams would offer more. My second response was to his response, to me saying that he admitted Cincy would probably want more.
You may not like it, but I stand by my posts. If there’s to be a good discussion about a trade proposal, it needs to be realistic. Otherwise we get what we saw here; an realistic trade proposal followed by a lot of responses calling it unrealistic. Not the stuff of a good discussion IMO.
And that fat contract yielded some rings huh?
Except Crawford grew up in the Bay, he would have to be DFA’d. He won’t waive it. Maybe to Oakland or somewhere close or Arizona, where he lives
Melancon had a no trade and 28m to boot. Gone.
Crawford is garbage.
Bet you didn’t say that when they turned that double play in ‘14. He’s been solid and what do you expect from a guy who gave his all over the years! Will always appreciate what that crew did. You should too!
You’re right. Can’t move Crawford or dfa him, he made that one doubleplay 6 years ago!! Gotta stick with him until he retires (full eyeroll)
Dubon is Crawfords replacement at SS.
Gold glove on a minor league contract, wow!
Lock up the Gatorade!
Nice addition, I just think that D-Backs would’ve been a better fit. And where’s Cozart been?
Cozart was DFA’ed.
And released
wow that’s a steal
Didn’t he just win a gold glove? Damn, nice pick up Zaidi
He is the perfect 10th spot in the batting order hitter. Of course you only can use 9 players. Good glove, Class A Rookie league bat.
And a minor league contract so zero financial risk. This is a good signing for a retooling team.
he has hit .253. heck of a lot better than your average glove-first utilityman.
trust me when I say this, he is completely a glove first utilityman, it is complete luck if he is able to hit it out of the infield
Better than Crawford …
yep
@ Juris
You have knee jerk blurt out to sound like you are some kind of expert on analyzing player skills.
I can safely see from your post YOU ARE NOT.
Put down the burrito and or doughnut, and do some research before you shoot your mouth off.
Sanchez batted 252 last season.
267 in 2017.
244 lifetime, starting at 20 years of age.
Been in MLB since 2014, 27 years old.
Plays everyday.
Clutch hitter in tight spots.
Gold glove 2B 2019
Plays 3B and SS as well
Great bunter, great clubhouse guy.
Now go have another snack.
now that is some nonsense that you are saying because I knew whenever he was hitting with someone on that it was pretty much a guaranteed out and a wasted opportunity to score a run whenever he was hitting, if he didn’t bunt them over
496 at bats
43 RBIs 44 Walks
OPS .638
Gun on relays
GOLD GLOVE
Sanchez in 2019 …
Bases Empty: .226/.304/.307
Runners On: .287/.336/.340
But let’s not have facts get in the way of a cool story.
Clearly he was terrible with runners on base whenever Steel watched a game and that eye test is all that matters
Yes, to Steel, and Steel only. Meanwhile in the land of facts …
I watch all 161 games that the White Sox played last year so yes I have a very good idea of what he is capable of and as I said to another person look at his advanced hitting metrics because they paint a very good picture of how good he is offensively.
.200/.267/.255 with two out and men in scoring position
Definitely NOT clutch
2019
Bases Empty: .226/.304/.307
Runners On: .287/.336/.340
Career
.244/.299/.357
You’re beating up on a guy who was signed to a MINOR LEAGUE DEAL as if the Giants are making him their cleanup hitter. His advanced metrics point to a slappy, weak-hitting infielder that is better with runners on. Am I missing something ?
Factor in his arbitration figure of 6 or 7 mil , so Sox said HE GONE
As lasordfish would say about someone who couldn’t hit, Yolmer Sanchez couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat
If they use him as a utility infielder then it would be a good pickup. Yolmer can’t hit at all so if they were smart they would use him solely as a defensive replacement or to give guys days off when needed.
I’m pretty sure this is the answer. If someone gets hurt on the left side of the infield and he can cover second while Dubon moves to SS. I think the guy can cover 3rd as well.
he is a great fielder just cant hit at all. Now lets say he signed with a team that has good hitters at every position besides 2nd then fine he is good enough to use as a everyday player
talk to Giants fans after watching last year. we see career 244 and we can’t believe he wasn’t locked up long term! lol. he can’t hit but his average is comparable or better than Posey, belt, Crawford and panik. we’ll take that defensive upgrade.
a total of only NINE Giants, with at least 100 At bats,
out hit Sanchez (.252) for average.
Posey 257
Longoria 254
Yaz 272
Pillar 264
Sanddoval 268
Vogt 263
Solano 330
Dickerson 290
Dubon 279 * 109 AB
So quit whining about Yolmer’s 252 BA with a Gold Glove
and he hit .267 in 2017
If your going to use batting average as the end all to this argument you have a long way to go.
Yaz. 🙂
.252 with no power. I don’t suck up to batting average, like many, if not most commenters on here do, though.
Exactly, If he was to look at some advanced metric they would paint a clear picture of how rough of a hitter yolmer really is like hard hit % he is in the 8th percentile
Ozzie Smith didn’t hit over .260 until he was 30 years old. He was a career .262 hitter and is a HOFer as a “glove first” infielder.
Make sure we don’t bash Panik either as he has a GG to speak for as well. Too bad his back can’t stay healthy.
Not saying BA is the key metric.
But a 252, 27 yo, switch hitting gold glove is the reality.
Many Giants batters hit lower, and many that throw leather in MLB are hitters that hit near the Mendoza line.
No body traded for Yolmer.
He is a gift, and Giants fans will love him.
More importantly so will his teammates.
excellent post
Yolmer batted .267 in 2017
The gold glove is baseballs equivalent to the prize in the cereal box.
They’ve been doing a better job awarding Gold Gloves in recent years due to more advanced analytics that the voters actually pay attention to. Case in point: Yolmer Sanchez last season with the White Sox. In past years it might have gone to a second baseman with a better bat.
Nice pickup
Sanchez a second baseman? Maybe the Rangers should have signed him to push their own lowly second baseman Odor who batted barely .200.
The Sox played him at 3b last season. He hit two HR’s. He isn’t a 3rd baseman. No team wants a 3B with no power. That MAY be why he wasn’t signed. Now, at 2B there isn’t necessarily a demand for power at that position. You want gloves up the middle and he has a very good one.
He played second for the white Sox last year. Moncada played third!
Yes. Yolmer Sanchez was the primary 2B for the White Sox in 2019 after being their regular 3B in 2018. He flip-flopped positions with Yoan Moncada last season in order to pave the way for 2018 first round draft pick Nick Madrigal who will become the White Sox core 2B beginning this season.
Sanchez was always the better fit at 2B having played the position most frequently after the White Sox moved him off of SS earlier in his minor league career because he lacked the arm and range to man it regularly at the MLB level. Moncada had been primarily a 2B throughout his Cuban and professional career but has continued to bulk up over time with a body that is more reminiscent of an NFL strong safety or linebacker. He became less fluid at 2B, a position which also demands more focus with the added responsibility of positioning and relay assignments. 3B is a more instinctive position and generally demands the profile of a slugger which suits Moncada just fine with his natural athleticism and developing power.
At BS
98% at 2 base
Filled in a third a few times when Moncada was hurt
Yeah, I’m sure nobody wanted him because they thought he played 3B. Like all the baseball execs look at players that superficially, and couldn’t imagine him playing anywhere else. Chances are he had interest from multiple teams and chose the Giants for whatever reason.
Sox had Moncada full time 3 rd baseman so mostly 2b but has played SOME 3rd before so he’s capable
Designated fielder.
Could be that
Pretty much a better fielding Joe Panik?
Nice move, will help out the pitching staff with all those balls up the middle he gets to
Giants 2B hit for a .248/.302/.339 line with a 76 OPS+ in 2019. The bat is a wash but the defense is a huge upgrade with Sanchez.
Thank you!
Someone finally providing relevant, factual information!
Ah, like a breath of fresh air
Great signing now with a 26 man roster…fundamental sound ballplayer that will probably get an uptick on his BA in the National League. Will also be trade bait at the deadline because all teams are looking for depth for a stretch run.
Nice little pickup …. if this guy could simply figure out how to hit… gez
Great guy, great glove, light stick. Good luck Yolmer. Get that bat figured out.
Well put. He is also a great clubhouse guy. Always putting the team first and trying to pick up his teammates.
Kevin Pillar
So a Latino version of Joe Panik?
… but with good defense.
To be fair, Panik’s defense was excellent until his last year in SF..
Very true. Once the back really went, the defense plummeted.
True, he hasn’t been the same and decided to come into camp last year lighter which made him a singles hitter only. Panik has outstanding bat to ball skills along with soft and fast hands around the bag with a above average arm. It’s the fact he doesn’t even hit doubles anymore with the loss of range that makes him a tough play on a team that couldn’t hit to begin with. That’s why he got released.
Again, like others have said, he is another low-risk addition by Zaidi that will likely be flipped to a contender at the deadline for another 45FV prospect.
As a White Sox fan, I wish him good luck. He’d be a great player if he could figure out how to hit. As is, great glove, seems to be a fun teammate. Nice pickup.
In 2018 he had 34 doubles, 10 triples and 8 home runs with the Sox. He can hit a little better than given credit for. And he has the golden glove. I’m not saying he is a starter on a playoff contender but there are worse out there. He is 27 with several years of experience in majors. Nice inexpensive depth move for SF.
Agreed! Not to mention that he can play 2nd, 3rd and SS plus the White Sox gave him practice and training in the outfield. In a pinch he can come in handy anywhere on the field.
“This may be a move where S.F. makes another move?” S.F. hasn’t made any relevant moves all winter. Before all you nerds tell me how great Farhan is doing & he’s giving us “sustainable product.” Cool. This season he loses Bum & W. Smith & Pillar & he’s brought in a prospect that may or may not pan out (Wilson isn’t even in SF top 10 prospects). Say what you will about the former regime, but at least they tried. Did McCutchen & Longo work out, no, but I guarantee every Giant fan in here was excited the off season they brought in Cutch & Longo. That old regime also brought in guys like Cody Ross, Scutaro, Pence, & took chances on old vets like Renteria, Burrell, & Peavy. But this new regimes moves are stupid. Why wouldn’t you sign a 27-year old Castellanos who is a doubles machine. In our spacious park, he would have thrived. Don’t tell me they “tried” to sign him either. They talked to him, just so they could tell the fans “we tried.’ Just like with Bum too. Brian Sabean would’ve signed him. The new regime may turn us into the Dodgers where we win divisions every year. But the old regime at 1 time, won World Series every year. Wait I’m sorry, every other year
Resigning Lincecum, Cain, Crawford, Belt, Posey etc… all failed. Way overpaid for past performance with contracts that were either too rich, too long, contained no trade clauses, etc… best moves were letting Sandoval go to the highest bidder, let Wilson go to LA, i think they let Jason Schmidt walk too. None of those guys came close to performing how they did in SF. Follow the Belichick or however it’s spelled thinking, better to release a year early rather than a year or 5 late. They won’t be making anymore sucker deals. I was/am big fans of the players I mentioned above but you got to know when to let go
That was Branch Rickey who said it’s better to trade a guy one year early than one year too late. See : Ralph Kiner. (Though there was no free agency then)
That was Branch Rickey who said it’s better to trade a guy one year early than one year too late. See : Ralph Kiner. (Though there was no free agency then)
“This may be a move where S.F. makes another move?” S.F. hasn’t made any relevant moves all winter. Before all you nerds tell me how great Farhan is doing & he’s giving us “sustainable product.” Cool. This season he loses Bum & W. Smith & Pillar & he’s brought in a prospect that may or may not pan out (Wilson isn’t even in SF top 10 prospects). Say what you will about the former regime, but at least they tried. Did McCutchen & Longo work out, no, but I guarantee every Giant fan in here was excited the off season they brought in Cutch & Longo. That old regime also brought in guys like Cody Ross, Scutaro, Pence, & took chances on old vets like Renteria, Burrell, & Peavy. But this new regimes moves are stupid. Why wouldn’t you sign a 27-year old Castellanos who is a doubles machine. In our spacious park, he would have thrived. Don’t tell me they “tried” to sign him either. They talked to him, just so they could tell the fans “we tried.’ Just like with Bum too. Brian Sabean would’ve signed him. The new regime may turn us into the Dodgers where we win divisions every year. But the old regime at 1 time, won World Series every year. Wait I’m sorry, every other year
It was pretty clear, Bumgarner was never going to re-sign in SF no matter how much the Giants threw at him. He wanted out, plain and simple. Kudos to him for making a deal not based on dollars, but centered around where he actually wanted to play/live.
No, not all Giants fans were thrilled with Cutch and Longo being acquired. Many fans who saw the cost of Longo in relation to his steadily declining stats were wholly against it. Scutaro, Ross, Morse, Burrell – these were all low risk waiver claims and scrap heap acquisitions just like Zaidi is doing now. You’re take here is just revisionist history.
Did it occur to you that Castellanos didn’t want to play in SF ? He was a free agent operating under his own free will after all. Do the math here, hes 27 meaning hes young enough to score another big pay day after the recently signed deal. So go to SF and hit doubles for for years or go to Cincinnati and hit homeruns for four years ? Which helps his next deal more ?
Great signing. Well done.
Good luck to Sanchez in spring.
Great move by SF. Sometimes, a change of scenery does wonders for people. You get a pro who is probably more into tutoring Dubon than Crawford would be. If this dude can hit .250 in a platoon role, great. He’s young, athletic, versatile and controllable. Checks all the boxes. Giants aren’t going to be as bad as some think. They ain’t winning the pennant or division but I’ll be happy with 74-81 wins. I think we’ll see a couple young guys take big steps forward and the real fun starts in 2021 and beyond. This was a good get, stay optimistic. Go Giants!
Any chance Giants can unload Longoria? Texas? Not saying Sanchez can it will play 3rd but seems plausible. Texas could do with a solid 3rd basemen, what would it take?
Giants sign ball players. Nothing fancy, just solid guys who get the job done. Yolmer will never set the world on fire and is pretty average at the position but I bet if he is at the plate in a situation that calls for a good at-bat, that is exactly what you are going to get! These players have value and kudos to San Francisco for identifying this and finding those players.
Question is not will the Reds want Crawford, of course they won’t. Question is who would it take? They need a frontline starter and a returning Cueto with a limited 2 years left attractive to Cincy? I would think so. Is Cueto too much to give up for the Giants for the giants or do they need to add cash to cover part of his salary to get a prospect back to SF??? I would go with the latter option if Farhan.