The New York Yankees have been fairly quiet in free agency this offseason, but they have made a few minor league signings that could prove to be impactful.
Building depth within the organization is an important part of the offseason, and the Yankees have been focusing on doing just that. On Wednesday, they signed catcher Ali Sánchez to a minor league deal, per his transaction log. Sánchez spent time in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox and Toronto Blue Jays last season.
Sánchez signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays before the season. The Blue Jays called him up on May 25, and he stayed with the big league team until he was designated for assignment on June 3. He elected free agency after he was outrighted to Triple-A Buffalo. He re-signed with the Blue Jays again on June 6. He was called up again on July 27 and designated for assignment again on Aug. 5.
The Red Sox claimed him off waivers and activated him on Aug. 11. He played in one game and was designated for assignment. He was outrighted to Triple-A and elected free agency. The New York Mets signed him, but he never appeared in a game. The Mets traded him back to the Red Sox on Aug. 31. He played in three more games for the Red Sox before electing free agency after the season.
He had a .217 batting average in the big leagues last season in just 12 games. However, he was a solid player in Triple-A for the Blue Jays early in the year. In 54 Triple-A games, he had a .279/.347/.419 slash line and six home runs. He had just 12 plate appearances for the Mets in Triple-A last season.
Sánchez is not a superstar by any means, but he provides solid depth for the Yankees in the minor leagues. He has played in 50 big league games and could be called upon if injuries pile up.
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