Few positions on the Brewers depth chart are extra set than catcher. William Contreras, whom they acquired earlier than final season, was their greatest participant in 2023. He led Milwaukee in hitting and completed third on the group in plate appearances regardless of shouldering a full-time catching load, which usually limits enjoying time. Most impressively, he delivered a sensational defensive efficiency a 12 months after he was one of many worst receivers in baseball. On a group that struggled to generate offense, Contreras was a uncommon and brightly shining exception.
Naturally, the Brewers simply signed the perfect free agent catcher in the marketplace, give or take DH Mitch Garver. That’d be Gary Sánchez, who’s becoming a member of the group on a one-year, $7 million contract, as Jon Heyman reported. It sounds weird – and it might be weird. However there’s a way to Milwaukee’s insanity, so let’s attempt to determine it out collectively.
There’s one apparent factor going for the Brewers: They actually wanted a second catcher. Earlier than they signed Sánchez, the plan was to make use of Eric Haase, he of the 42 wRC+ in 2023, as their second backstop. That plan was not nice, to place it succinctly. Haase most likely isn’t that dangerous offensively, however he’s additionally not significantly good behind the plate. In his greatest years in Detroit – he hit a career-high 22 dwelling runs in 2021 and topped out at 1.3 WAR in 351 plate appearances the next season – he wasn’t used as a pure catcher, dabbling within the outfield and at DH and racking up meaningfully unfavourable framing numbers when he did don the instruments of ignorance.
For those who didn’t like that plan, the subsequent line of protection was… properly, to be trustworthy, I’m not fully certain what the subsequent line of protection was. Alternative degree backup catchers – or, properly, typically sub-replacement degree by the numbers – are a fungible commodity, however that’s not a good way to get forward in a aggressive NL Central. Contreras is so good offensively that he’ll find yourself DH’ing fairly a bit to get probably the most out of his bat, which implies Milwaukee’s backups will find yourself with loads of time behind the plate.
This can be a normal transfer for good offensive catchers, even those that are nice defensively. Adley Rutschman does the identical factor in Baltimore, which is a part of why they traded for James McCann after the 2022 season. J.T. Realmuto and Will Smith have gotten this remedy at varied factors prior to now. So has Alejandro Kirk, although to be truthful he doesn’t look like a masterful defensive catcher both. It simply is smart, although: In case your catcher can rake, you’ll need to handle his innings behind the plate catcher, as a result of enjoying catcher is tough!
Sánchez tasks to be a lot higher than Haase. Just a few years in the past, that consequence didn’t really feel significantly doubtless; he fell out of favor with the Yankees because of his shoddy efficiency behind the plate after which bought shipped to Minnesota, the place he did a number of DH’ing and didn’t hit or defend significantly properly. He ended up within the wilderness, because it had been, signing a prove-it take care of the Giants earlier than bouncing by way of the Mets on waivers and ending up in San Diego. In the perfect climate in America, he discovered himself once more, posting his greatest offensive numbers in a half decade whereas catching kind of full-time.
Receiving has by no means been Sánchez’s forte, however he’s not with out deserves as a defensive catcher. He boasts a thunderous throwing arm, yearly rating among the many high 10 within the majors in pop time and arm energy, expertise that took on elevated significance in go-go 2023. Can he do all of it? Completely not. He’s an detached blocker at greatest, and downright disastrous at worst. Baseball Savant makes a pleasant little graphic of blocking worth for the 2018-2023 seasons, and yeah, that is ugly:
Put these three expertise collectively, and Sánchez has undoubtedly been a below-average defensive catcher. The e book on him is that he makes up for it together with his bat, which is otherworldly for a backstop. He socked 19 dingers in solely 267 plate appearances in 2023, and since debuting in 2016, his price of homers per plate look is eleventh in all of baseball, in a digital useless warmth with Shohei Ohtani. He’s not hitting cheapies, both; there’s some Joey Gallo in Sánchez’s recreation, and Gallo coincidentally has a virtually equivalent wRC+ in that point span.
Joey Gallo as a so-so defensive catcher sounds superior, and if that’s all of the Brewers are getting, I believe they’d nonetheless be moderately completely happy. Our projections assume he’ll be a little bit worse than that, however I’m skeptical; I believe his type in San Diego is pretty repeatable, and he didn’t profit from unbelievable luck or something like that. The purpose is, if he finally ends up kind of hitting projections, he’ll be a significant improve over Haase at an inexpensive price. That’s the form of deal that a number of groups could be completely happy to make, significantly given how arduous offense has been to come back by within the free company market this 12 months.
It may very well be extra thrilling than that, although, as a result of these are the Brewers we’re speaking about. They flip detached receivers into defensive stalwarts on a yearly foundation. “Run prevention coordinator” Walker McKinven is famous for the way properly he teaches receiving. Supervisor Pat Murphy was a very good defensive catcher and is aware of a factor or two concerning the job. Right here’s a have a look at a few of their handiwork:
Brewers Framing Enhancements
That’s a median achieve of almost 10 runs of receiving worth, simply from going to the Brewers. And it actually goes to the Brewers that appears to do it; Grandal was already a wonderful receiver, however Narváez, Contreras, and Caratini all bought significantly better instantly after becoming a member of the group. Piña bought significantly better as time wore on, too.
If Sánchez’s receiving improves, he’s going to be a plus defensively in addition to a median bat. Catchers like which can be all however not possible to search out – once more, Sánchez himself was the perfect catcher in the marketplace this 12 months. It’s robust going on the market for groups on the lookout for a do-it-all backstop. They principally don’t hit free company, as a result of groups who’ve an opportunity to retain them journey throughout themselves to take action.
For those who seemed on the Brewers’ roster earlier than the Sánchez signing, you wouldn’t discover a number of offense, however you additionally wouldn’t discover a number of simple upgrades. They’ve principally gotten the individuals they need; any infielder they added could be displacing both a returning contributor (Brice Turang and Willy Adames) or somebody they traded for this offseason. The outfield is crowded already. There weren’t a number of locations to enhance the group offensively.
On the pitching aspect, there’s loads of room for enchancment, however pitching is pricey. The Brewers are all about scrimping and saving. Their massive pitching signing of the offseason was Wade Miley – except it was Joe Ross – except it was Jakob Junis. It’s robust to get good pitching for reasonable, as a result of everybody wants it. In different phrases, the Brewers had been in an ungainly spot of needing to enhance in 2024 with none apparent means of doing so.
By signing Sánchez, I believe they’ve solved that puzzle. I believe they’ll get greater than a win’s value of enchancment out of him between improved backup catcher manufacturing and the additional time it lets them spend with all their greatest hitters within the lineup because of the DH slot. It’s not a lot that he’s a slam dunk All Star – you heard it right here first, I don’t assume Sánchez will likely be an All Star this 12 months – however the Brewers had painted themselves right into a nook by buying and selling Corbin Burnes. Now they’re out of the nook, and in a division with 4 so-so groups slugging it out for the crown, these little edges matter. This looks like a very good deal for Milwaukee, and if Sánchez does certainly get coated with some Brewers catching magic mud, it’ll be an amazing deal for him too: Simply think about the demand for him in free company a 12 months from now if he repeats his offensive season and in addition learns a little bit of protection.