Coming off their second World Series championship since 2017, the Houston Astros haven’t made any improvements behind the plate this off-season, but that’ll likely need to change if they hope to defend their crown next season.
The problem, however, is the free-agent market has been picked clean with Willson Contreras, Christian Vázquez and Omar Narváez signing elsewhere. And there isn’t much available via trade, either, as Sean Murphy and Gabriel Moreno have already found new homes.
As a result, that leaves Gary Sánchez – worth 1.3 fWAR in 2022, the second-lowest rating of his career – as the top remaining catcher available. While the 30-year-old probably isn’t an ideal fit, the Astros can’t afford to be overly picky after receiving very little value from their catching position last season.
Even with Vázquez coming over from the Boston Red Sox in a midseason trade, Houston’s catchers were worth minus-0.6 fWAR, tied for 26th among all 30 MLB franchises.
Martín Maldonado, whose average pop time to second base (1.92 seconds) and pitch framing (47.9 percent strike rate) ranked in the 89th and 55th percentiles, respectively, is an excellent defender and game-caller. The 36-year-old has historically struggled offensively (career 72 wRC+), though.
Despite these shortcomings, Maldonado has needed to play 70 percent or more of Houston’s schedule each season since 2020, serving as a less than one-win player each year. That’s not an ideal situation, especially for a championship contender.
The Astros are covered defensively with Maldonado at catcher, although given his long standing offensive woes, the veteran backstop is undoubtedly better suited for a part-time role. That is, of course, assuming the front office acquires another catcher.
Sánchez would make plenty of sense for Houston, particularly on a one-year, prove-it deal. That way, the right-hander could rebuild his value, or at least attempt to, on a team desperate for a consistent offensive catcher.
Granted, the former New York Yankee isn’t the same power hitter – who led all catchers in home runs (138) from 2016-21 – he once was, although it seems his bat still has some juice left in it.
In his first and only season with Minnesota, Sánchez blasted 16 round-trippers, 61 RBIs – most since 2019 – and slashed .205/.282/.377 over 128 games with the Twins. His slash line is concerning, and so is his measly 89 wRC+, but there’s no denying he’d add much-needed power behind the plate in Houston.
The veteran righty has proven susceptible to strikeouts in the past, evidenced by his career 26.9 percent rate, and that likely wouldn’t be any different in 2023. That’s simply part of being an all-or-nothing type of hitter. The trade-off, though, is that he generates tons of hard contact.
Sánchez has remained an effective home-run threat over the years because of that, with his barrel and hard-hit rates finishing in the 90th percentile or higher in two of his last three seasons. In 2022, both percentages ranked in the 92nd, respectively.
Even so, the 6-foot-2 backstop’s slugging percentage was .062 points lower than his xSLG (.439), suggesting he should’ve fared much better than he did. That sentiment was also true against fastballs, as he featured a .135-point difference between his SLG and xSLG.
With defensive shifts outlawed starting next season, though, Sánchez – shifted a career-high 70.5 percent of the time last season – should reap the rewards of that rule change. While he’d need to increase his line-drive output to witness a dramatic improvement, he should start seeing many more hard-hit ground balls leaving the infield.
And if Sánchez signed with Houston, he’d likely enjoy a much higher home run total, as well, thanks to the short porch in left field at Minute Maid Park.
Source: Baseball Savant
Of the 16 home runs Sánchez hit in 2022, only five occurred at Target Field in Minnesota, mainly because left field extends to 339 feet. But in Houston, the Crawford Boxes shorten that distance to 315 feet, creating a home-run-friendly environment for righties.
With that in mind, the hard-hitting catcher would’ve had at least four additional longballs had he played every game at Minute Maid Park last season, according to Baseball Savant. And aside from Oakland, his home run total was favoured to increase at every other AL West division rivals’ ballpark as well.
Adding to his value, Sánchez became a much-improved defender a season ago, improving his pitch framing (47.2 percent strike rate, +1 catcher framing runs). He was also far more effective at containing wild pitches, posting positive blocking runs and errant pitches above average scores for the first time in his career.
The Astros wouldn’t require Sánchez to replicate his All-Star form, although that’d be a welcomed occurrence. All they need is for him to perform as an average or slightly better run producer, surpassing at least 20 home runs.
A duo of Maldonado and Sánchez probably wouldn’t blow anyone away, though based on each of their skill sets, it could prove to be an effective pairing. But if it doesn’t work out, Houston’s front office could reset its big-league catching depth next winter.
Maldonado is entering the final season of his two-year, $9.5-million contract. And assuming Sanchez signed for one year, both catchers would be eligible for free agency after the 2023 campaign, with the possibility of neither returning.
Top catching prospects Korey Lee and Yainer Diaz – both of whom are on Houston’s 40-man roster – briefly appeared in the majors last season, although neither is ready for a prominent big-league role yet. But that could change as early as 2024.
So with a pair of talented backstops on the way, Sánchez would probably only be needed to serve as a stop-gap next season, affording the franchise’s young duo additional developing time. He also likely wouldn’t prove overly expensive, either.
The two-time All-Star earned $9 million during his final year of arbitration in 2022 – so perhaps he’d accept an offer between $10-$12 million. And with Houston’s current CBT payroll roughly $209 million, committing that figure wouldn’t push them over the $233 million luxury tax threshold.
The front office – which remains without a general manager after former GM James Click turned down an extension in November – probably would’ve preferred to acquire a catcher much earlier in the off-season rather than two months away from spring training. And rightly so.
But at this point, Sánchez and the Astros could help one hand wash the other by coming together on a short-term partnership.
-Thomas Hall
Twitter: @ThomasHall85
Photo: Arturo Pardavila III. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.