The Red Sox announced that infielder Yolmer Sanchez has been signed to a minor league deal. The former Gold Glover will receive an invitation to Boston’s big league Spring Training camp.
Sanchez spent 2021 with the Braves’ Triple-A affiliate, hitting .216/.309/.352 over 355 plate appearances. Atlanta signed Sanchez as a depth option in April of last year, but with Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, and Dansby Swanson staying healthy and delivering strong production for the World Series champions, Sanchez never got a call to the Show. It marked the first time since 2013 that Sanchez hadn’t seen action in a Major League season.
While the Red Sox are the fifth different organization Sanchez has joined in his pro career, the 29-year-old has suited up only with the White Sox at the MLB level. Sanchez played with Chicago from 2013-20, seeing regular work as a starting second baseman and third baseman during the team’s rebuilding years and acting as a useful utility infield piece in general. Always a solid defender, Sanchez’s work was recognized when he won the AL Gold Glove as a second baseman in 2019.
However, the White Sox still opted to non-tender Sanchez in the wake of that Gold Glove-winning season, as Sanchez was projected to earn a $6MM arbitration salary in 2020. Sanchez’s defense didn’t make up for his lack of offense, as he has hit only .245/.300/.360 in 2459 career PA. The Giants signed Sanchez to a minor league deal heading into the 2020 season but released him, resulting in Sanchez returning to the White Sox for 11 games that year and making an appearance on the team’s postseason roster (perhaps a nice full-circle moment considering Sanchez’s contributions during the team’s lean years).
After landing with the Orioles and Braves on minors deals, Sanchez will now try to gain a foothold in Boston. Sanchez’s versatility will only go far considering that he’ll be competing with several other multi-position infield types (i.e. Christian Arroyo, Jonathan Arauz, and fellow minor league signing Rob Refsnyder) in the battle to be Boston’s chief utility infielder. As well, Enrique Hernandez is capable of playing pretty much anywhere around the diamond, and the Red Sox could move Hernandez back into that super-utility role if they obtained another starting option at second base.
Changing Sox!
Would rather have had Munoz back as that stashed player in the minors.
I’m so tired of seeing all these minor league contracts. END THE LOCKOUT!
Get ready, you might end up having to resort to watching minor league baseball soon if this lockout doesn’t end quickly.
I would actually love to watch a season of AAA ball.It would serve both sides right if the season was cancelled because of the greed on both sides.
I actually wouldn’t mind to experience that if it had to happen. But only if they televised the games like MLB does it would be cool to see the stars of tomorrow play since there’s never that much focus on them like the MLB.
You will see the stars of yesterday who have recently signed to collect a paycheck.
@48. I agree it’s almost been 10 weeks now and little to no progress. Looks bad on both sides to me. When the lowest paid players in MLB make well over half a million dollars to play part time and ride the bench it’s hard to have much sympathy for the players. The superstars from 50-60 years ago would poo themselves if they knew how much salaries have risen. The fact that minor league players almost live in poverty doesn’t sit well with me either.
I just don’t see how they expect to get anything done with no meetings and no willingness to compromise.
Players make way too much money but have you ever seen what the owners make? The players are the ones creating the product that the owners are collecting on and want their due out of what they are bringing in.
Also, many of the superstars of 50, 60 years ago are still living and see it.
This isn’t about what they make in comparison to the owners. It’s about the fact that they make enough money to be set for life and sometimes enough for multiple generations to play a game. The fans don’t want to hear them complain.
How much do the owners actually make in revenue off of the sport? Does anyone actually know?
Amen, 48, I agree completely. Well said.
Us fans need to revolt. While we love our sports, there is only so much the average person can afford on entertainment. Remember before cable when we would look forward to the NBC Game of the Week? Now, we get every game but pay the piper to do so.
They expect a $205,000 increase for first-year players. If they get a $75,000 increase then it’s still an increase. The owners want a 14-team playoff (which is ridiculous) but a 12-team playoff or even a 10-team playoff with the Wild Card round becoming a best-of-three would still give them more postseason games.
@123redsox
No, I have not seen what the owners make, and neither have you. If you were talking about child labor or poverty level wages, I would understand the relevancy of what the owners are making. Major
League players are neither situation. These are well compensated players, getting premium benefits. For the level of work they put out, they are over compensated. For the talent level, they are still paid more than anywhere in the world. That the team owners make money is why the players are making what they are.
If you want to talk about how non-union players are compensated, its an entirely different conversation.
So much that they refuse to open their books,Cosmo.The networks are paying billions for the rights,fans paying billions to attend and advertising that has paid the networks billions.The only people getting hurt are employees of the ballparks,venders,surrounding businesses like bars and restaurants.Avg price of a Red Sox ticket in 2000 was$25.00,now$100.00.Did YOUR salary increase %400?
I had no idea Sanchez spent last season in the minors. He’s only 29 years old and is an excellent fielder; his offense is a different story. I’m surprised the White Sox didn’t sign him first given their need for a 2nd baseman and his history of success with them (at least defensively).
I like Yolmer. He really doesn’t have a place on the roster but wouldn’t be a bad backup/defensive replacement
Awesome, Chaim! Keep improving that Red Sox defense!
Not really considering he’s got little chance to make the 25 man roster.
Does that mean he has a chance with 26-man rosters?
Typo. My brain thought 26 but my finger remembered the past. Tells you the size of my brain at times if it’s in my finger…I swear I thought 26 as I typed.
I was being a little facetious, I don’t think he’s likely to make the opening day roster. But he is a switch hitter and the Red Sox’s bench does skew righty at the present moment. If he’s willing to head to Worcester to start, I wouldn’t be surprised if he plays some games with the Sawx in 2022.
He’s a switch hitter but can’t hit from either side of the plate.
I hit .300 as a switch hitter, .150 from each side.
Well, he’s better defensively than any other Red Sox infielder….but then so is Rudy Guilliani.
And Rudy’s a much better singer.
He would likely be an improvement for the Chiba Lotte Marines if they want to move on from Adeiny Hechavaria
My first real memory of baseball was the 1975 World Series, if the players and owners cannot come to an agreement, my last game will have been the 2021 World Series, if they don’t work this out soon amongst themselves, I’m going to save myself some time for the six months, a summer without baseball is not ideal, but I’m so I’m tired of the back-and-forth between two parties they don’t seem really interested in what the fans want
That would suck, at least the NPB has very good games that can be watched. It’s not MLB but it’s better than AAA ball for sure.
I don’t know about that.
Seems like Sanchez can’t really get on a team where he would have a chance making the roster(besides the Orioles). I know his defense is very good but the offense is lacking to say at least. Back in the day teams would hide him in the lineup offensively. Kinda of reminds me of Shawn Dunston on the Cubs in the 80’s.
Devon Marrero was a great glove who couldn’t hit. While defense can win you a championship, you still have to hit your fat momma’s weight.
I know that name! Was he DFAd or stuck on a forty man right now?
Think he’s a free agent. Can’t be much over 30 and he came through Boston’s farm.. I think as recent as two or three years ago he was with the Diamondbacks. Not sure after that.
That’s the issue I have with drafting light-hitting SS’s. particularly guys with no power. Sometimes the OPS looks okay in college and the minors because they will take walks. But if you don’t have the power to punish the pitcher occasionally, they will throw a FB down the middle rather than walk you.
Once that happens, you need to be a GG type to survive. OTOH, if you have a bat, but less than a GG, you can always switch.
This move fits with the money available to Bloom. He needs to fill out the 40 man roster with as many players near or below $1M as possible and hope the rest can be controllable players at $0.575MM.
He has $6.275MM left and has one or two open hitting spots on the 26 man roster depending on the post new-CBA rules and whether a team can keep more than 13 pitchers on the 26 man roster. Currently Boston has 14 pitchers on the 26 man roster and 39 total players on the 40 man roster so adding Yolmer may make 40. Time will tell.
At this point, if the 2022 season does begin Bloom will need to decide if trading JD can happen without taking yet another bath. The outfield is weak. The infield will be horrendous if Devers isn’t DH. The starting staff has some ifs but four quality starters is the best they’ve had since 2018. No closer but maybe Whitlock proves he can do it otherwise Barnes needs to resemble first half Barnes if Boston is to be competitive. The step down from Renfroe to JBJ will hurt. Not trading JD and not moving Devers to DH will hurt. And we need to see Vazquez bounce back with his bat.
There is no way to predict Bloom except I don’t see him spending money so more revolving door players where he flips a coin into the wishing well. OR maybe he does his last salary dump and moves JD, Bogey, Devers and Sale or some combination among them for highly rated prospects. The team won’t be terribly competitive so why not go out with a bang. Ownership gets to blame him for destroying the team. The Red Sox marketing department can rave about 2025 and beyond. It’s a win – win for ownership and Bloom. The owners thank him for being the henchman and send him on his way with a stellar recommendation (behind the scenes of course). Publicly they take no heat for Bloom’s mistakes just like they took no heat and blamed DD except they did claim the success that he produced and that’s not happening with Bloom.
Like I said, with Bloom, almost anything could happen. He’s been in uncharted waters since he arrived and his ship still has no direction but it continues to take on water.. .
So much that they refuse to open their books,Cosmo.The networks are paying billions for the rights,fans paying billions to attend and advertising that has paid the networks billions.The only people getting hurt are employees of the ballparks,venders,surrounding businesses like bars and restaurants.Avg price of a Red Sox ticket in 2000 was$25.00,now$100.00.Did YOUR salary increase %400?