The Yankees have agreed to minor league contracts with catcher Ali Sánchez and infielder Zack Short, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Both former big leaguers will presumably be in major league camp next spring.
Sanchez is a right-handed-hitting catcher with experience in parts of four major league seasons. He’ll turn 29 in a month. He split the 2025 campaign between the Mets, Blue Jays and Red Sox organizations, logging some major league time with the latter two. Sanchez has only 133 big league plate appearances under his belt and is a .183/.220/.233 hitter in that time. He’s a solid defender who has played in parts of five Triple-A seasons, including a 2025 campaign in which he slashed .274/.336/.411 (102 wRC+) in 57 games between the top affiliates for the Mets and Jays.
Short, 30, is another glove-first player who’s seen limited action in the majors. The former 17th-round pick has suited up for the Astros, Tigers, Mets, Red Sox and Braves in the majors, hitting a combined .172/.271/.296 with 15 home runs and 10 steals in 594 turns at the plate. He strikes out too often but also draws plenty of walks.
Short, fittingly, has spent the bulk of his time in the majors playing shortstop, but he’s also spent significant time at third base and second base (in addition to one-off cameos in center field and right field). He’s drawn better marks for his defense at second base than the other spots but still gives the Yankees some versatility to stash in Triple-A, where he’s a .216/.353/.380 hitter in parts of six seasons.
New York currently has Austin Wells and J.C. Escarra ticketed for big league catching work. Sanchez will provide some depth beyond that duo. Short is behind each of Anthony Volpe, Jazz Chisholm Jr., Ryan McMahon, Oswaldo Cabrera and Amed Rosario on the infield depth chart. Out-of-options infielders Jorbit Vivas and Braden Shewmake are both on the 40-man roster as well.
Zack Short Braves legend.
Enough. Any other news other than a Bellinger or Imai signing is unacceptable to me right now. Yanks will come up Short.
I think Imai is going to the Yankees. @99 wait a few days I think.
@Astros71- hope so. Thinking Cubs, Mets or Phillies. We’ll see. You want to keep Framber? If so what is he looking for? Lmk
With what Framber Valdez wants, no, I don’t want to retain Valdez. 3 year deal for him at max. I truly don’t think the Mets will offer the long term deal. The Phillies likely won’t spend that much for starting pitching, while the Cubs likely won’t outbid the Yankees (in my opinion).
@Astros71- how about Ranger Suarez or Zac Gallen for the Stro’s instead? Thinking Yankees will cry poverty, when it comes to paying Imai, which they did with Michael King. Expecting Cubs, Mets, or Phillies to land him. I never wanted to be more wrong.
@99
haha..When did the Yanks day anything about not bring able to afford, or thinking he was asking too much, for their budget?
@Knicks- as you said in another post I think we do get spoiled as fans. It’s just so frustrating to get there, and fall short, especially when you are finally so close. I wouldn’t mind for the Yankees to continue to have the 3rd highest payroll in baseball. Just wish the $ was spent more wisely. We don’t need a salary cap in baseball. Unfortunately that’s where we’re heading though.
Zach will not Short you. Have faith, my brothers!
Zach Short is no Aaron Small.
@Mengis2- glad to hear you talking like this about Short. I really can’t judge him. I’ve never seen him play yet.
Zach is a podcast host legend long before a Braves career
That’s where he taught me the phrase “shitfucked” as in, “ I shitfuckd a pop up.” I wish there were more opportunities to use that one in day to day life.
Cashman at the controls
The yankees looking cheap discount deals again. Never a dull moment for my cheap team.
@ mlbnyyfan
I hate it when my $296 million team doesn’t spend…
i hate when my $296 million team spends the $296 million so poorly that they have massive holes in the roster they cant/wont address
@Canuck It’s the relative spending to revenue aspect and the well above average cost of a family of four to enjoy a home game.
They ask us to spend, so why shouldn’t we ask them to spend in turn?
@Beg
Massive holes like the one left in LF by the guy that just entered FA, whom they’ve been reported to submit an offer to and is represented by Boras an agent notorious agent known to allow play negotiations? Who also have 3 OF in camp right now? And the bell of the ball in Tucker who’s not rising things either and I’m sure the Yanks have engaged in too? Or is is SS emerge we have a guy who despite struggling last year, was a 3.5 WAR player in 202 but is currently banned up by a guy named Caballero who seems like a capable replacement until he’s back? Or 3B where, despite his k rate, we have a 20 hr guy with a good caliber glove at currently? Or are you talking about a pen that has two guys that have 30 save seasons on their resume? You don’t think we have find one or two power and to pitch the 5th and 6th innings before ST? IM mean SP is the one plane I have the most concern but I don’t think Dylan Cease WS the answer and King MIGHT have had health issues that alarmed teams including the Yanks. To suggest the Yanks can’t get better would be absurd. To suggest the cupboards are bare and that Cashman didn’t bring in contentgencies in Bednar, Doval, Caballero and have in-house options like Rice and Dominguez it’s ridiculous. I would even suggest that Freid, Gil, Warren, Schlittler and????? should be enough to hold over until Rondon is back and later Cole. This is still a 90+ win team if healthy. They’re still like 12 of the top 20 guys on the board and a couple of high end options at LF and 3B. And trades are always options too.
Yeah not gonna reply to all that slop especially when youre using WAR to justify Volpe as if WAR isnt overweighted by advanced defensive metrics like DRS (which is incredibly flawed, mind you). 3 straight years of OPS+ in the 80s you can throw the 3.5 WAR away its meaningless.
This team has major holes and we get reminded every post season if you dont believe it lol
Dominguez is hitting .180 with 25% k rate in winter ball & Grisham likely doesn’t come close to replicating last year.
We need a bat in LF.
@Beg
So by holes you mean plays not doing their jobs? Hitters can hit during the season but not in the playoffs? Pitchers can pitch but in the regular season but not the playoffs? Yet somehow, Rafael Santana, Walt Weiss and the mighty Tommy Edman help their teams win with their glove not their bats. Volpe had a brain fart in the WS and this year you can argue may have been off due to injury but I think it would be stupid to jettison off a 25 yo SS under control that’s already displayed 20/20 and, at minimum, adequate defensive ability. You be the fool and throw him away to chase after more expensive older options. If rather they spend that on Bregman if they want to spend like that. Yanks had 10 guys with OPS over. 700 in the regularseason and only 5 of them showed up in the playoffs. We had 4 solid pitchers with sub 4 eras during the season and only the 24 yo Schlittler pitched well in the playoffs. Even Judge, my favorite Yanks had had his demons in the playoffs. I can’t put the failures of star players on the GM. It’s not like they aren’t capable. Arod notoriously struggled and he’s one of the greatest hitters ever. To act like the Yanks can’t win Wyeth Volpe but the Mets win with Rafael Santana sounds ridiculous.
@Es
So ring the alarm over 48 AB of a guy under performing in winter ball and ignore the 460 AB of moderate success in his rookie season in the majors? Glad you’re not in charge of anything. And no one has any idea whether or not Grisham will struggle next year. He was a former 1st round pick and he did have some success with other teams. Maybe he figured some things out? Maybe he might even improve. I’m all for bringing in a LF but it’s not like ANYONE can our a gun to the head of Beli/Boras or Tucker/Close to hurry and sign perhaps the last major payday of their careers. And I guarantee you that if they were signed it would likely be one where they bowled them over with an overpay offer. Maybe that shouldn’t matter for the Yanks? Maybe they should offer Beli 6/$40 or Tucker 10/$400 just to satiate a spoiled fanbase that they’ve spoiled like a bunch of babies. How about we just wait and see how things play out ONCE these players decide? I’m sure Cashman is on the phones discussing FA and trade scenarios year round.
So true, could easily spend 1,000 on one game for a family of 4, tickets, parking or RR and food.
This is a team that tied for the best record in the AL. We were one win from a first round bye and home field advantage. The tournament needs to be reseeded. The Mariners receiving a first round bye for winning what turned out to be a not very good division was a major “postseason hole”.
Two years from now, they would skewer Cashman for being so stupid to give Tucker as much money as Judge for more years…They would be right!
I for one, don’t want Tucker.don’t know if he’s got what it takes to play in New York.I’d rather just resign bellinger
@myname
But Canuck, why act like the Yanks AREN’T spending $300 mil + already??? You really think they aren’t going to make additions this winter? Maybe the Yanks will sell part of the team to Black Rock, offer out a billion in deferred contracts kick the tickets up another 30%? The Dodgers and Mets business dynamics are completely different than the Yanks, which is largely a “mom and pop” organization in that most of their person wealth comes from sports related business. The Guggenheim members are are worth over $23 billion personally and Steve Cohem the same amount. Hal is worth about $3 billion. By no means am I saying he’d poor or can’t afford to operate at a loss or taking out a less% of profits but the other two guys can stomach losing a billion over the budget to put a winner on the field and it wouldn’t effect them at all. I WANT THE YANKS TO WIN and I’ll be the first to complain if they don’t address some of the needs but it’s still a ton of top guys on the board and we hand to stop acting like the Yanks aren’t signing top FA just about every year.
you actually would hate it if your team had the ability to spend to improve and didn’t do it on account of being bean counters only concerned with the bottom line and not doing everything they can to win baseball games..
The fans who criticize NYY fans for saying this knows deep down that if they were in the same position they would complain too, they just like that feeling of smug superiority. Unearned.
“by holes you mean players not doing their jobs”
Yes lmao Its up to the FO to acquire players that do their jobs and thus plug the “hole”
@mengis
I’m not sure if you’re directing that towards me but if you are, let me be clear. I WANT the Yanks to spend and they a absolutely do. Fans can get upset because a BUSINESSMAN was asked if he would “LIKE” it of he could reduce the payroll that’s costing him 100% in taxes. What business would day “no” but he also made it clear that there ISN’T a mandate to p lower or not grow the payroll and inferred, that of it made sense he would go over it which is what they always do. Ppl act like Sabathia, Brunner, Teixeira and fast fwd to Stanton, Judge, Cole, Rondon and Freid weren’t top of the line acquisitions. The gems of this FA class that fit our needs are largely still on the board.
What moderate success? He’s had the equivalent of a full season of play with .7 WAR and 30% K rate since 2023.
He’s not ready.
I’m for giving $350-380 million for 10 years for Tucker. If he wants more than that, then let him sign with the Blue Jays, Dodgers, or the Mets. Hearing Dodgers would give him $40 million a year, for fewer years, and opt outs. Mets might do that also.
no, not directed at you bro
@Beg
So, using your thinking, we should of traded Judge years ago and we should go after Teoscar Hernandez at all costs because of his post-season success.
@es
So you’re top rated rookie comes up at age 22 and has a 700+ OPS, 10+/25+ HR/SB and a 10% walk rate and you can’t find good in that? There’s no accounting for his age and growing pains? Fans like you are incredulous. No one is suggesting to stand pat with him as the starting LF but there’s no reason to go to extremes to keep him from starting.
You account for his age by letting him continue to develop in the minors.
On top of his limited offensive contributions he’s a liability defensively.
@es
His time in AA was brief but he was still outstanding in his 48 games with a .848 OPS. I dint think he has anything to learn at the AAA level and I think his walk rate and other numbers were good for a kid his age in the bigs. There’s only 18 other position players in the bigs 22 or younger. We can’t have a team that cries about being too old and wanting youth and then be being impatient with their development. I’m all for bringing in Beli or Tucker but with Grisham being 1 year fun FA and the risk that he may regress I see no reason to sell short on JD. I like what I see in his hitting approach and his walk rate. I think the power will come and hopefully he’ll either move to CF or become at least decent in LF. figure it out later.
@Knicks
No one said that at all. Nice strawman.
Every team needs guys to stash at AAA for depth. Sanchez is a decent depth fit as a righty hitting C that they lack at the top of their system, and their AAA roster is short on position players right now with 2 IFs on the 40 man out of options as stated.
Fans have the right to complain but this has little to nothing to do with roster filling and n the majors. Maybe pick your spots?
Every year we go through the same thing here. This is part of building club depth.
Cashman making the rest of the league look like fools. Best GM ever.
Mets sign ex-Yankees (Holmes, Soto, Williams, Weaver) and Yankees sign ex-Mets ( Rosario, Short, Sanchez).
It’s getting incestuous.
Haha imissjoebuzas!
Also we can add Paul Blackburn to your list since he signed yesterday.
Do Short and Sanchez really count?
Zach’ stay in Queens was short, but Sanchez was in the Mets organization for 7 years. So sure, he counts.
It will really seem weird if Bellinger is the next ex-Yankee to sign with the Mets..
That’s the Mets saving on scout’s salaries. Just reassemble the last Yankees World Series team.
I still can’t believe Austin Wells forgot how many outs there were in a game last season while on base lol
I still can’t believe how the Yankees can’t sign or trade for anything significant right now.
@99
I still can’t believe how after numerous winters ppl can he understand that ot takes two to tangle and most teams have likely engaged with agents, submitted offers and age either negotiating or waiting for an answer. Tucker is the prize of the winter. Why would he be quick to decide? Beli is represented by Boras. You really think he’s going to sign this quickly? If he did then it would be because Beli insisted on going to that team and wanted it out the way of some team have them an offer they couldn’t refuse that was so high no one else would touch it.
@KnicksFanCavsFan- I’m really not asking for too much. Probably won’t be a 2027 season.(lockout) Re-Sign Belli, sign Imai and Fairbanks and then sit out free agency next year. This is based on Yankee needs, not wants. Getting to another World Series and actually winning one. Definitely is not too much to ask for, and is needed. Is it not?
No according to Knicks the Yanks FO is does no wrong all the players are really good except when its their fault entirely but not the fault of those building the roster… well it depends what angle he wants to take if you compiled all of his comments this offseason alone you’ll find contradicting sentiments
“@99
You’re not asking for much. I too want them to resign Beli (or Tucker if he comes down in price). I too want them to sign Imai (wanted King). I too want them to beef up the bullpen for the 5-7 innings. And if he came down to earth, sign Bregman and trade McMahon. But who says those things can’t happen??? You and others are acting like Beli, Tucker, Imai, Okamato or Bregman are of the board. I’m sure Cashman has likely engaged with them and submitted offers. I’m also tired of people overreacting about Hal’s statement:
Would it be ideal if I went down [with the payroll]? Of course,” Steinbrenner said Monday on a video call with reporters. “But does that mean that’s going to happen? Of course not. We want to field a team we know could win a championship — or we believe could win a championship.”
I’m a business man too. What business man WOULDN’T want to reduce overhead but maintain or improve production/success?? We go thru this every year. People were calling Hal cheap last year before Soto details came out. As soon as he signed all the other dominoes fell too with the signing and trade for Freid, Beli, Goldy and Williams. Sorry buddy….we are a spoiled bunch of childish fans being for our golden sippy cups. Get off Cashman’s (ahem) and let him do his job. Crucify him if he stands pat.
@beg
So this team was good enough to make it to the WS but not good enough to win in in ’24 because Cashman couldn’t hit in cleanup for Judge or feel short of making the WS in ’25 because Cole was injured and Freid and Rondon struggled to get past the 3rd innings instead of being great pitchers for the entire season? In sports the coaches and GMs get fired because you can’t fire the players but in the case of the Yanks in the playoffs they are just under performing. Less about roster construction and more about guys choking on important moments. And you can’t really identify “clutch” in FA and build like that. Freid pitched 6 innings of shut out ball in the clinching game for the Braves but the game before that he got bombed. It happens.
@KnicksFanCavsFan- think $350-380 million for 10 years for Tucker is a steal for any team out there. I still want Belli back for $180-190 million over 6 seasons though. Hearing Belli wants 7 or 8 years. That’s crazy. I wouldn’t do it. I’m game with keeping Dominguez and Jones, and signing Bader for 3 or 4 years at $17-20 million a year though, with no Tuck or Belli.
I’m disappointed in my fellow Yankees fans right now. Didn’t you guys hear Hal? The Yankees aren’t profitable. He simply can’t afford to do what these other big market teams are doing. He has to pay taxes and stuff!
@Yankee Clipper- thinking of taken 2026 and 2027 off, and coming back in 2028. Without Tucker or Bellinger, Imai, and Fairbanks, forget about winning the AL East, and definitely forget about goin to another World Series again. Hey At least Uncle Hal can save his $ now! 🙄
Yeah, I agree. I get that he spends, but it’s passive-aggressive spending. It’s….weird.
I get the angst. I keep refreshing MLBTR too! We haven’t “missed out” on anybody this offseason yet. We weren’t in on guys like Schwarber or Alonso. When we had Williams and Weaver, Bednar closed games anyway. The guys we have targeted this offseason haven’t signed yet, that doesn’t mean there are not offseason targets. Doing something just to do something or spending to say that we did is not the answer. We could go full Ellsbury on a contract for the sake of spending and not be any closer to winning.
Lark: Very true. And you’re right. Anyone we need is still available. Honestly, if we had a Belli/Imai offseason that would be pretty good. Although, if we really wanted to win, we’d need to add another bat and top reliever, imho.
I really wish they would do more through trades instead of letting the top prospects flounder and fade into oblivion.
I think that may be the plan. Cashman is feeling it from his haul at the deadline last year. Getting Bednar, Doval, and Caballero made him feel brave. I think we want to get one of Bellinger or Tucker and Imai then trade an outfielder (Might be Jones. We might be stuck with Dominguez.) for some bullpen help. I would like to keep Jazz, but he might be out too.
@lark
Why “stuck”? I think most organizations would be happy to have their prized rookie have a solid debut and not look overwhelmed. It’s not elite but in today’s game a .250+ bat available,. 330 + OBP with a 10% walk rate and good exit velocity for a rookie 22 who played above his age most of his minor league career gives a lot exciting home in my eyes. I’m looking forward to see what Rice, Dominguez and Schlittler can do in a full season.
Happy to see Zack Short get a contract. 🙂
He hit a walk off in the 11th against the Texas Rangers.
Busy offseason for the Yankees minor league depth. Going to be a lot of competition. Yankees minors might win the championship this year.
Two more former ex-Mets. Cashman obsessed.
At this stage of the game,there are now more ex-Mets in the Yankees system than the reverse
You beat me to the snark!
The Amtrak between Boston and New York must give discounted tickets to ballplayers.
Can’t wait for them to sign some OFs for AAA depth and then hear the barking here.
They only have 1 OF on their AAA roster, little beyond 4th OFs to promote from AA (maybe Brendan jones comes up to fill a spot), and 40 man Spencer Jones will likely be there to further work on plate discipline and K / contact rate.
I’m convinced that after these signings the Yankees will win their division.
Both ex Mets!
Yankees just scarfing up everyone available….something must be done to stop them.
Yankees ruining baseball.
Ali(l) Short was what I was expecting for Monday morning from the Yankees.
Ex-Mets too!
I’m not getting the joke here. The Mets keep signing former failed Yankees to fill prominent roles on their roster for lucrative contracts. The Yankees have added a few depth pieces on minor league deals that have once passed through an organization that has no direction and lots of roster turn over. Is there an equivalency that I’m supposed to see that makes it funny?
The. Company line at the end of spring training. We like the way the team looks. And we can always trade at the deadline. A work in progress
@jersey
right because this how they usually work. by not signing or trading for anyone. alllll the FA are off the board right?
I keep telling myself to be patient because there’s a long way to go in the offseason. But when you see their rivals signing good players and making good trades it gets that much harder to have patience. Come on Hal open up your wallet and Cashman get to work!
You’re right the Yankees spend but always on the wrong players. For example a few years ago Rizzo instead of Freeman. How about Stanton instead of Harper. Not signing Seager. The list is endless
This is precisely my gripe. It’s not that they don’t spend money, the obviously do. It’s that they try to be too clever and save like 10% on what a superstar would cost, give that money to an inferior option, then cry poverty. They do this over and over again. If they would just sign the best player they would have a better team and probably spend less in the long run since they don’t have to keep supplementing the bad buys they already made.
They’re going to do it again, too. They’re going to pass on Tucker to sign Bellinger. Bellinger is fine, good even. Tucker is better, They’re going to have to replace Bellinger sooner, and the next contract will be even more expensive as opposed to having a few more productive years out of Tucker who, by the time he starts declining, will be owed less than whatever replacement the Yankees will have to pay for Bellinger.
@Brian
Please provide us all with an example of when the Yanks are stingy and let a guy walk over 10%? I’m the case of Soto the Yanks went far above their initial offer to $750 mil and it was clear, and even stated that Cohen had told Boras to bring his best offer from competitors back to him before deciding. Boras was using the Yanks to get the price up. But the Yanks are notorious for being willing to add additional years to a contract to get the total dollars where the player and agent want it. But how can you use Stanton as an example when a) his contract was the highest by a long shot b) the contract negotiations weren’t between bum and Jeter but directly between Jeter and Randy Levine with Hals approval?
Secondly, Beli is 31 in July and Tucker turns 29 in January. They are both lefties. With Beli, Grisham, Judge and Dominguez the Yanks had the most productive OF in baseball. This site has Tucker getting 11/$400 mil and Beli 5/$140. As long as the Yanks stay over the cap, which they pretty much have to, they’d be paying $40 in taxes for Tucker for the duration of his deal if they are over the cap? Do you really want to pay him $40 mil per thru his 36-40 age? At least with Beli his deal would be done by age 35. Also, maybe the Yanks decide to spread that money around and use that $250 they saved and spread it around on others?
The Yankees haven’t missed anything they couldn’t do without yet, so I’ll reserve judgement. That said, there’s quite a bit of heavy lifting yet to do, and this front office doesn’t fill me with a lot of hope that they’ll do it.
This team needs to spend a healthy sum just to run back the same team as last year, nevermind close the gap with the Jays and Dodgers. IMO they need Bellinger plus a credible above average shortstop plus a starter plus a reliever or two – at very least. I just don’t see it happening.
You don’t think they can find 5th and 6th inning guys and use Bednar and Doval for 8th and 9th innings? They’ve both had 30 seasons as closers.
The goat is to beat the champion Japan Dodgers
Have some goat cheese.
The Dodgers are in Los Angeles, Frankie.
More Mets castoffs in da Bronx.
Cashman will sign belli and say we got an ace back with Cole and that’ll be that
Honestly I don’t think Bellinger comes back to the Yankees or he would have already. The main question does he want to come back if so sign already!!!!
The amount of hate every yankee fan has for cashman and hal is beyond measure.
I am a Yankee fan and I think that Cashman is the best GM in MLB. You know based on the fact that the Yankees have won more MLB games than any other MLB team during his tenure. We have not had a losing season in over 30 years. When you see the Chiefs miss the playoffs, you understand how impossible that really is. Yankee fans are exactly what other fans think we are. Entitled, unsatisfied, and unrelenting. Championships are the goal, but you can’t get there without winning regular season games and we pile up the wins like nobody else. Tournament baseball is hard, and we all want to win a chip, but managing the roster is a bigger frustration to me than roster construction. Aaron Boone sucks. He is the worst manager in MLB. He cannot manage a bullpen, and his lineups are often stupid and wrong. I sports hate Aaron Boone for sure and will be glad when is a TV analyst again.
Now the Yankees are going after ex-Mets 😆
You are the fifteenth person to attempt that joke in this thread, and it isn’t funny any of the other fourteen times either.
@Lark. Are you drinking spiked Egg Nog before Christmas. Good for you. Cashman doesn’t know how to build a WS winning team. He won in 2009 because George opened his wallet when new Stadium. The Yankees teams that won in the late 90s were built by Stick Michael. Cashman has done nothing to prove me differently
On playoff the Yankees forgot the art of how to hit the ball
This is a pair of organizational depth signings. All the complaining when the Yankees don’t add the superstar of someone’s liking is just embarrassing.
Moves like this are necessary to fill out camp, develop younger players, and build the organization.
Why don’t people understand that? This isn’t a video game.
“Short, fittingly, has spent the bulk of his time in the majors playing shortstop,”
“Fittingly” has to START the sentence, not come in the middle between commas.