The slumping New York Mets have added a depth piece to their roster, as they signed catcher Ali Sánchez to a minor league deal according to Will Sammon of The Athletic.
The 28-year-old minor league journeyman originally signed with the Mets back in 2013 when he was 16 years old.
Sánchez has played a staggering 694 MiLB games in the last 11 seasons, bouncing between the Mets, Cardinals, Marlins, Blue Jays and Red Sox systems. In that time, he has appeared in 47 MLB games, most recently with the Boston Red Sox this season. In his 47 MLB appearances, he has logged 119 at-bats and holds a career batting average of .185 with no home runs and four RBI. Sánchez has nine MLB games under his belt this season, eight with the Blue Jays and one with the Red Sox. In 21 at-bats he has five hits.
Sánchez was in the Mets’ system from 2013-2020 before rotating through the other teams, and has now once again been reunited with his long time franchise
The Move to Add Ali Sánchez Comes After Starting Catcher Francisco Alvarez Was Put on the IL
The Mets signed Sánchez in order to maintain some depth at the catcher position after it was announced that Francisco Alvarez was being placed on the 10-day IL with a thumb injury. Although it seems like Alvarez will try to play through the injury, New York Manager Carlos Mendoza said that he will need surgery at some point, which doesn’t bode well for Alvarez’s effectiveness.
Outside of Alvarez, Luis Torrens is the Mets’ best option behind the dish. The organization promoted Hayden Senger to fill the back-up role while Alvarez is out, so Sánchez stands as the insurance option for the time being.
Torrens and Senger have both been replacement level bats in the New York lineup this season, with batting averages of .210 and .185 respectively. Alvarez was having the most successful season at the plate of any of the three, batting .265 with seven homers and 24 RBI while holding a respectable .787 OPS.
Summer Blues in New York
The Mets have had an abysmal month of August, trudging along to the tune of a 6-13 record since the onset of the month. This includes series sweeps at the hands of the scorching Milwaukee Brewers and the scrappy Cleveland Guardians, while they have also dropped two-of-three against the San Francisco Giants and the Washington Nationals.
After an appearance in the NLCS last season, expectations were high for the Mets coming into the season, and though they currently hold the final NL Wild Card spot, their recent funk has brought them to just a game and a half ahead of the surging Cincinnati Reds. New York has become top-heavy lately, with many of their big bats carrying the bulk of the weight while depth scoring and consistent pitching has become an issue.
The Mets’ two big trade deadline acquisitions, Ryan Helsley and Tyler Rogers, have both struggled early on in their careers in New York. Helsley and Rogers were meant to bolster a rocky bullpen but have instead created a little more concern than they have settled any doubts.
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