Ex-Yankees All-Star Slugger Linked To Red Sox; Would Boston Add Former Rival?
Will the Boston Red Sox bolster their lineup by signing a former core member of the New York Yankees?
The Red Sox are in a bind at a few key positions, one of them being behind the plate.
Former Minnesota Twins and Yankees catcher Gary Sánchez remains available despite his impressive pedigree at just 30 years old.
"While a number of teams have filled their vacancy at catcher, the likes of the Red Sox, (Detroit) Tigers and (Miami) Marlins could be among the teams interested," MLB Trade Rumor's Simon Hampton wrote Sunday regarding Sánchez.
The two-time All-Star was once expected to perennially slug 40 home runs alongside Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton as the most powerful trio in the league. That scenario did not play out as Yankees fans hoped.
Sánchez's batting average has taken a sharp turn for the worse since his first two seasons -- he hit .284 in his first two seasons and .202 in his last five -- but he's become a much better defender as of late and still has serious pop.
The right-handed slugger hit .205 with 40 extra-base hits including 16 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .659 OPS in 128 games a season ago with above-average defensive metrics.
The latter statement is quite a shock after all of his defensive misfortunes with the Yankees, but the Twins seemed to have improved upon his defense.
Still, Sánchez struck out 136 times, which was more than once per game. While he would add some much-needed power to the Red Sox's offense, his overall game would not be highly coveted in Boston.
Taking a chance on the continued breakout of Reese McGuire and Connor Wong would make more sense than investing in Sánchez, whose bat fell off dramatically in recent years despite being in the middle of his prime.
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