SF Giants Rumors: Gary Sanchez Lands MiLB Contract: Named All-Star 2x with Yankees

Two-time All-Star Gary Sanchez's long wait to find a new home has ended.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Sanchez has agreed to a minor league contract with the San Francisco Giants that will allow him to opt out of the deal if he's not promoted to the big leagues before May 1.

Rosenthal noted Sanchez will initially report to San Francisco's spring training facilities in Arizona before joining a minor league affiliate.

After going unsigned throughout the offseason, Sanchez did get an opportunity to showcase his talent by playing with the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic. He only appeared in two games, going hitless in five at-bats.

The 30-year-old had an up-and-down year for the Minnesota Twins in 2022, hitting .205 with 16 homers, 61 RBI and 42 runs.

Sanchez had a bounce-back season at the plate in 2021 after his struggles in the 2020 campaign, when he hit just .147 with 10 homers, 24 RBI and an OPS of .618 in 49 games. He was better in 2021 and his pop returned, hitting .204 with 23 dingers, 54 RBI and a .730 OPS.

Nonetheless, he was one of the changes the Yankees made ahead of the 2022 campaign, trading him to the Twins alongside Gio Urshela for Josh Donaldson, Ben Rortvedt and Isiah Kiner-Falefa.

At his best, Sanchez brings power, having posted four seasons of 20 or more dingers and two seasons with at least 30 home runs. Consistency has been a major issue, however, as Sanchez routinely posts poor batting averages and on-base percentages.

That has taken him from being a cornerstone player for the Yankees to one on his third team in as many seasons.

The Giants are a good landing spot for Sanchez because they are going to need some pop from the position. Roberto Pérez is an excellent defender behind the plate, but he's a .208/.298/.360 career hitter in 10 seasons.

Joey Bart was once a top prospect whose career hasn't panned out as the Giants would have liked.

As long as Sanchez can play passable defense, he could end up becoming the starting catcher in San Francisco because of his ability to drive the ball.