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Yolmer Sanchez

Orioles Claim Yolmer Sanchez

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed infielder Yolmer Sánchez off waivers from the White Sox. That brings Baltimore’s 40-man roster tally to 33 players.

The 28-year-old Sánchez was non-tendered by the Sox over the 2019 offseason despite winning the AL Gold Glove award at second base. That reflected his lackluster offensive production, as he hit just .252/.318/.321 in 555 plate appearances. After a minor-league deal with the Giants didn’t lead to a big league opportunity, though, Sánchez briefly found himself back on the South Side down the stretch in 2020. He is controllable through 2022.

White Sox Sign Yolmer Sanchez To Minors Deal

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The White Sox have signed second baseman Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league contract, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (via Twitter).  After being released by the Giants earlier this week, Sanchez returns to the only other organization he has ever known over his 12 professional seasons.

Sanchez went from part-timer to everyday player over six MLB seasons with the White Sox from 2014-19, hitting .244/.299/.357 over 2438 plate appearances but being far more well-regarded for his defense.  Sanchez spent significant time at third base and even a few games at shortstop and right field, though he is best known for the +10 Defensive Runs Saved and +6.3 UZR/150 posted over 3464 career innings at second base.  This glovework culminated in Sanchez winning a Gold Glove just last season.

With Nick Madrigal looming in the minors and Sanchez projected for a $6.2MM arbitration salary, however, Chicago opted to non-tender Sanchez last winter.  He caught on with the Giants on a minor league pact, though Donovan Solano’s emergence and San Francisco’s signing of Wilmer Flores left Sanchez without a clear path to making the big league roster.

The White Sox, however, now find themselves in need of some infield depth with Madrigal on the injured list for at least a few more days and Leury Garcia done for at least the regular season after undergoing thumb surgery.  Danny Mendick has been taking most of the everyday at-bats at second base recently, and Sanchez could potentially replace another glove-first infielder in Ryan Goins on Chicago’s active roster.

Giants Release Yolmer Sanchez

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The Giants have released infielder Yolmer Sanchez from their alternate training site, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports. Sanchez requested the move to pursue other opportunities, per Pavlovic.

The 28-year-old Sanchez spent the first six seasons of his career as a member of the White Sox, with whom he provided subpar offense and strong glovework from 2014-19. The switch-hitter ended his White Sox tenure with a line of .244/.299/.357 (78 wRC+), 31 home runs and 30 steals across 2,436 plate appearances. Defensively, Sanchez logged a combined 5,000-plus innings between second and third in Chicago, where he accounted for 19 DRS and a 22.5 Ultimate Zone Rating between the two positions. Sanchez even took home an American League Gold Glove at the keystone last year.

Despite his defensive prowess, the White Sox decided to non-tender Sanchez in the offseason in lieu of paying a projected $6.2MM in arbitration. After clearing waivers, Sanchez elected free agency and signed a minor league pact with the Giants in late January. He’s now back on the open market for the first time since then.

Giants Release, Re-Sign Four Players

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As a procedural move, the Giants have released Pablo Sandoval, Trevor Cahill, Yolmer Sanchez, and Billy Hamilton, reports Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle. Not to worry, though: all four are expected to re-sign with the team on new minor league contracts and join the Giants for renewed Spring Training.

Evidently, these roster moves are simply technicalities and won’t affect the players’ standing with the club. The precise motivation for reworking the quartet’s contracts is unclear, but speculatively may be related to opt-out clauses in the minor league deals to which they were previously signed.

NL West Notes: Yolmer, Ray, MadBum, Saunders, Cordero

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Before signing a minor league deal with the Giants, Yolmer Sanchez turned down some MLB contract offers from other teams, the second baseman told Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle.  His decision was partly for financial reasons — the other offers promised him guaranteed money but less than the $2.5MM Sanchez will make if he cracks the Giants’ roster — and partly for opportunity-based reasons, as other clubs wanted to use Sanchez in a utility role.  As Schulman writes, Sanchez preferred to “bet on himself…for a chance to be an everyday second baseman” in San Francisco.

It remains to be seen if Sanchez can become a regular amidst the Giants’ youth movement, or against a veteran like second base candidate Wilmer Flores, who did sign a guaranteed Major League deal with the team.  Aside from Flores, the Giants also have youngster Mauricio Dubon and utilityman Donovan Solano in the mix at the keystone, not to mention Kean Wong, Zach Green, and longtime Giants staple Pablo Sandoval in camp battling for infield jobs.

More from the NL West…

  • Robbie Ray has been a fixture in trade rumors for the better part of a year, and the Diamondbacks southpaw told MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert that “I thought I was as good as gone” heading into last summer’s trade deadline.  “We were in it, but we were far enough behind where it looked like it was a real possibility that I was going to go somewhere.  I was hearing it every single day,” Ray said.  As it happened, the D’Backs instead unloaded an even bigger arm (and a bigger contract) by dealing Zack Greinke to the Astros, though Ray still felt he was a trade candidate during “the first part of the offseason…and then we made the moves that we made.”  Acquiring Madison Bumgarner, Starling Marte, Kole Calhoun has now made the D’Backs into a popular choice to reach the postseason, leaving Ray now comfortable that he will remain in Arizona as long as the club is in contention.  Ray is eligible for free agency after the 2020 season.
  • Speaking of Bumgarner, the southpaw’s secret identity of rodeo team-roper “Mason Saunders” was publicly revealed today by Andrew Baggarly and Zach Buchanan of the Athletic (subscription required).  Bumgarner’s participation in rodeo events has been something of an open secret for some time, though he has used the fake name to avoid extra publicity.  Saun…er, Bumgarner competed in two events as recently as December, prior to signing his five-year, $85MM contract with the Diamondbacks.  It isn’t known whether that agreement allows the left-hander to continue roping in organized events, as GM Mike Hazen said he was “not going to get into discussing specific contract language.”
  • Injuries have limited Franchy Cordero to only 49 Major League games over the last two seasons, leaving the Padres uncertain but still hopeful about his vast potential, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes.  Teammates remain impressed by Cordero, with no less than Fernando Tatis Jr. saying “if [Cordero] has a chance, he’s going to outplay me.  He has more tools than me.  He has way more power than me, and the speed is about the same level….If he stays healthy, he can be one of the best players in the game, simple as that.”  Some glimpses of Cordero’s hitting ability have been exhibited over his 273 career plate appearances, as Cordero has ten homers and a .240/.306/.431 slash line as a big leaguer, and his ability to play all three outfield positions could be an advantage as he fights to win at least a bench job on San Diego’s roster.

Giants To Sign Yolmer Sanchez

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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.

White Sox Non-Tender Ryan Burr, Caleb Frare; Release Thyago Vieira

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The White Sox have completed some 40-man cleanup in advance of today’s non-tender deadline. The club has decided not to tender contracts to righty Ryan Burr and southpaw Caleb Frare.

Unsurprisingly, recently outrighted infielder Yolmer Sanchez was also non-tendered. Right-hander Thyago Vieira also departed the 40-man. He was released so that he can sign with Japan’s Yomiuri Giants, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweets.

This run of moves opens multiple 40-man spots and trims some marginal relief depth from the Chicago roster. For a club that has made clear its designs on improving in the standings in 2020, there’s good reason to hope those slots can be put to more productive use.

Yolmer Sanchez Clears Waivers, Elects Free Agency

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Nov. 27: Sanchez went unclaimed on waivers and will become a free agent, Rosenthal tweets. A formal announcement from the club should follow.

Nov. 25: The White Sox have outrighted infielder Yolmer Sanchez from their 40-man roster, per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). MLBTR had projected him to earn $6.2MM in arbitration.

While he has at times been a solid contributor in Chicago, Sanchez is coming off of a rough 2019 season at the plate. There are quite a few veteran alternatives available in free agency, making it tough to pay that kind of cash to retain him.

Sanchez has been trusted with quite a lot of playing time on the South Side of late, appearing in over 140 games in each of the past three seasons. But his offensive output has declined steadily in that span, dropping from a .267/.319/.413 batting line and 95 wRC+ in 2017 — that is, five percent below league average — to last year’s .252/.318/.321 slash and 74 wRC+.

While Sanchez has maintained the same general strikeout and walk levels all along — he’s a bit below the league average with both his career 7.5% walk rate and 21.0% strikeout rate — his power has fallen off a cliff. Sanchez went from a dozen home runs and a .147 isolated power mark in 2017 to just two dingers and a .069 ISO in 2019.

What hasn’t changed is Sanchez’s excellent glovework. Whether utilized at second or third base, he has graded as a top-notch performer — even winning a Gold Glove Award for his work at second base in 2019. That makes him a strong candidate to find a landing spot as a utility piece. Barring a big upswing at the plate, however, it’s hard to imagine Sanchez as a regular lineup piece on a team with designs on immediate contention. If and when he does land elsewhere, he’ll be controllable through the 2021 season via arbitration.

GM Meetings Notes: Mets, White Sox, Red Sox

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The Mets have about $20MM to spend to stay under the luxury tax, and though they haven’t ruled out going over for a season, history suggests otherwise, writes MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo. The rotation is largely set with Cy Young Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Marcus Stroman, and Steven Matz locked into the top four spots. Despite the rumblings, GM Brodie Van Wagenen has been adamant about Syndergaard staying put, and as for the fifth rotation spot, relievers Seth Lugo and Robert Gsellman are very real candidates. Free agent upgrades are more likely to bolster the bullpen, which is already a man down if Lugo or Gsellman jump to the rotation. Of course, the best upgrade they could hope for would come in the form of a bounceback season from closer Edwin Diaz. Diaz is putting in extra work this winter in Puerto Rico, and for what it’s worth, new manager and fellow Puerto Rican Carlos Beltran “considers mentoring Diaz one of his top priorities.” Here are some more notes coming out of the GM meetings…

  • White Sox GM Rick Hahn attempted to temper expectations before projecting bloated win totals for his club in 2020, per the Chicago Tribune’s Paul Sullivan. It’s an exciting time nonetheless for those on the south side of Chicago, with high-end youngsters Nick Madrigal, Luis Robert, and Michael Kopech expected to establish themselves as big leaguers. They have money to spend on pitching or an outfielder, and a tough decision to make on newly-minted gold glover Yolmer Sanchez. Madrigal is likely to unseat Sanchez from his regular role at second, and with Sanchez due to make roughly $6.2MM through arbitration, he’s definitely a possible non-tender. The Sox love him from a character perspective and aren’t eager to kick him curbside, but even with his new hardware in tow, $6.2MM after a .252/.318/.321 season is probably a touch too rich for the ChiSox.
  • The Red Sox are facing a different kind of offseason under the leadership of Chaim Bloom, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe. Scaling back the payroll is objective A, and the Red Sox are active in trade discussions around just about everyone on the roster. The media has Mookie Betts as the fulcrum of Boston’s trade activity, but he’s expensive on a one-year deal and unlikely to sign an extension, mitigating any trade return and making a deal unlikely. It’s more likely the Red Sox find their desired breathing room by trading from their rotation: David Price, Chris Sale, and/or Nathan Eovaldi. Meanwhile, discussions with free agents are largely on the backburner as they look for creative ways to free up space in the payroll.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Falvey, A. Gordon, Yolmer

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Twins chief baseball officer Derek Falvey has done impressive work atop the team’s front office since his hiring in 2016. Considering his success with the Twins and his Boston roots, he could land on the Red Sox’s radar as they seek a replacement for fired president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski. At this point, though, the Red Sox haven’t asked the Twins’ permission to interview Falvey, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic (subscription required). Falvey, for his part, is “very happy” with his current gig, Hayes hears. However, as Hayes writes, the excellence of the AL Central-leading Twins may be costly for the club in a sense. Other organizations could attempt to poach some members of their front office and coaching staff, with Hayes naming three of manager Rocco Baldelli’s top assistants – bench coach Derek Shelton, hitting coach James Rowson and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner – as well as farm director Jeremy Zoll as possible targets for rival teams. Falvey realizes it’s going to be difficult to bring the entire band back in 2020. “As much as I love everybody we’ve brought in, I’ve never been of a mind that you’re always going to retain people,” Falvey told Hayes, adding, “If we’re creating the right environment, we’re growing a lot of people in that room into roles that may not exist here.”

  • Back in May, Royals left fielder Alex Gordon considered himself “at about 60-40” to play again in 2020. Four months later, though, Gordon might not be quite as sure. The 35-year-old Kansas City icon told Andy McCullough of The Athletic (subscription) that he wants to distance himself from a trying 2019 campaign before mapping out his future. “Losing 100 games, you’re tired, obviously, there’s going to be days when you’re like, ‘I don’t want to play next year,’” said Gordon, who expressed a desire “to take the grind out of the season before I make that decision.” Gordon has already said he’ll either remain a Royal or retire, while general manager Dayton Moore seems more than willing to bring him back. But sticking around will require Gordon and the team to draw up a new contract, as KC will decline his $23MM mutual option in favor of a $4MM buyout.
  • As noted on Thursday, the White Sox would be wise to seek an upgrade at second base during the offseason. Current starter Yolmer Sanchez hasn’t been the answer at the position, having batted .250/.320/.317 with almost no power (two home runs, .067 ISO) in 519 plate appearances. Consequently, Sanchez’s days with the team could indeed be numbered, Steve Greenberg of the Chicago Sun-Times observes. The 27-year-old’s slated to reach arbitration for the second-last time during the offseason, when he’ll seek a raise over his 2019 salary of $4.625MM, though the club may elect to move on from him instead. Sanchez doesn’t want that to happen, however, as the White Sox are the only organization he has known since he signed out of Venezuela in 2009. ‘‘When I was a little kid, I wanted to play baseball because I loved it,’’ Sanchez told Greenberg. ‘‘I still love it. I played for fun then, and I play for fun now. But I play for the Chicago White Sox. I’ve tried to enjoy every day I’ve spent here. I hope there are a lot more days.’’
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