Skip to main content
Inside The Pinstripes

New York, Gary Sánchez Agree to $5 Million Deal

Gary Sánchez is one of several Yankees to avoid arbitration Friday with new contract
Max Goodman|
Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Gary Sánchez and the Yankees agreed to a one-year deal worth $5 million on Friday, per Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. Sánchez, who made less than $700,000 last year, avoids arbitration.

New York's starting catcher is one of nine Yankees eligible for arbitration ahead of Friday's 1:00 p.m. ET deadline -- the final chance for teams to agree on salaries or exchange desired numbers for 2020 with arbitration-eligible players. 

The Yankees announced that all nine arbitration-eligible players agreed to new deals -- star Aaron Judge, breakout-infielder Gio Urshela, southpaws James Paxton and Jordan Montgomery and right-handers Luis Cessa, Chad Green, Jonathan Holder and Tommy Kahnle all avoided arbitration with new contracts. 

Urshela's deal is worth $2.475 million, a deserving pay raise after the third baseman exceeded all expectations in 2019, Judge receives $8.5 million, while Paxton earns $12.5 million.

Sánchez appeared in the second All-Star Game of his five-year career in 2019 -- the 27-year-old slashed .232/.316/.525 while driving in 77 runs and launching 34 home runs (the most among all big-league catchers last season). 

He played in 106 games in 2019 -- just the second time in his career where Sánchez has played in more than 100 games in a single season. With a clear susceptibility to injuries, the Yankees are set to give Kyle Higashioka a larger role in 2020 as Sánchez's backup. The club also signed veterans Erik Kratz and Chris Iannetta to minor-league deals this offseason, addressing catching depth with the departure of longtime backup Austin Romine to free agency.

A total of 155 big leaguers were eligible for arbitration January 10. Noah Syndergaard, Francisco Lindor, Kris Bryant and Mookie Betts, for instance, all agreed to one-year deals Friday -- Betts' $27 million contract is the largest ever for a player in an arbitration-eligible season.

To keep up with all of Yankee Maven's coverage, click the "follow" button at the top righthand corner of this page. For more from Max Goodman, follow him on Twitter @MaxTGoodman

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Yankees for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. Goodman has been on the Yankees beat for three seasons. He is also the publisher of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Jets site, Jets Country. Before starting Inside The Pinstripes, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. At school, Goodman was an anchor and reporter with NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. While at Northwestern, Goodman interned with MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman. You can connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.

Share on XFollow MaxTGoodman
Home/News