PHOENIX — The Milwaukee Brewers have signed catcher Gary Sánchez to a one-year contract with a mutual option for 2025.
Sánchez, 31, hit 19 homers last season while playing for the San Diego Padres and New York Mets. In 75 games, he had a .217 batting average with a .288 on-base percentage, .492 slugging percentage and 47 RBIs.
He played three games for the Mets and 72 games for the Padres.
Sanchez owns a .225 career batting average with a .309 on-base percentage, 173 homers and 448 RBIs in 741 regular-season games with the New York Yankees (2015-2021), Minnesota Twins (2022), Mets and Padres.
The Brewers already have William Contreras returning at catcher after he batted .289 with a .367 on-base percentage, 17 homers and 78 RBIs last season to help Milwaukee win the National League Central title. Contreras was selected as the Brewers’ most valuable player last season by the Milwaukee chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America.
Milwaukee lost its backup catcher from last season when Victor Caratini signed with the Houston Astros, though the Brewers have since signed Eric Haase to a major league deal and Austin Nola to a minor league deal. The Brewers also could choose to have both Contreras and Sánchez in the lineup by making one of them a designated hitter.
To make room on the roster, the Brewers designated infielder Jahmai Jones for assignment.
The Brewers on Wednesday also made official their signing of injured right-hander Brandon Woodruff to a two-year deal.
The backloaded $17.5 million contract includes a mutual option for the 2026 season.
Woodruff is expected to miss most, if not all, of the upcoming season while he recovers from shoulder surgery.
“I’ll take it day to day, week to week, month to month, see where I’m at, at the end of the year,” Woodruff said. “If it makes sense, maybe. If not, I’ll be ready to go for ’25.”
Woodruff will receive $2.5 million this year and $5 million in 2025. The deal includes a $20 million mutual option for 2026 with a $10 million buyout, half payable Jan. 15, 2026, and the remainder July 15, 2026. The contract also grants Woodruff a full no-trade provision and a hotel suite on road trips.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Source: www.espn.com