MLB Rumors: Twins To Move On From Former All-Star

The Minnesota Twins had a disappointing season, and their catching situation is one area where they're looking for a major upgrade. They took a chance on trading for catcher Gary Sanchez from the New York Yankees last offseason, but it now appears that Sanchez's time in the Twin Cities will last just one year. 

Gary Sanchez could be on the move again after disappointing Twins season https://t.co/Eyzu57V2lf pic.twitter.com/ep2T2TsWIu

— New York Post (@nypost) October 18, 2022

The 29-year-old two-time All-Star has seen his star fade the past few seasons. He hit .205 this year with the Twins, a mark that he's only topped once in the last five years. His 16 home runs and 61 RBIs didn't make up for the poor on-base skills (.282) and overall lack of production (.659 OPS, over 100 points below his career average). 

Sanchez is a free agent this offseason, and it's clear that the Twins are going to let the soon-to-be 30-year-old find a new home, instead choosing to go with 25-year-old Ryan Jeffers as their right-handed hitting backstop with an as-yet-to-be-found platoon partner.

“When you look at teams across baseball, the co-catcher model is probably two-thirds of the league,” Twins president of baseball ops Derek Falvey told Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. “I’d anticipate us probably looking at it again in some way like that. Ryan had a really good year against left-handed pitching. That’s a good sign. I’m not saying he’s exclusively a platoon (player), but there is an opportunity to match up going forward.”

Notice there's no mention of Sanchez there. The former Yankee will take his lifetime .225 average and 154 HR in eight seasons to the free agent market. 

Photo: Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports