Brewers decline mutual option on two-time All-Star

The Brewers declined their end of Gary Sanchez’s $4M mutual option for the 2025 season, Curt Hogg of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.  Sanchez will return to free agency for the fourth time in the last two years.

Initially a one-year, $7M deal contract, Sanchez’s deal with the Brewers ended up being a one-year, $3M guarantee with a mutual option worth up to $4M.  The Brew Crew had concerns about Sanchez’s wrist after fracturing it in September 2023, though it was a non-issue in the catcher’s 2024 campaign.  Sanchez did miss a month due to a calf strain, and he otherwise hit .220/.307/.392 with 11 homers over 280 plate appearances and 89 games.

Sanchez’s presence allowed William Contreras to get a good dose of extra playing time at the DH spot, thus allowing him some partial rest while keeping his bat in Milwaukee’s lineup.  The Brewers will likely explore a similar plan for the coming season, if not necessarily with Sanchez in the backup catcher role.  However, a reunion shouldn’t be ruled out if the Brewers were generally satisfied with Sanchez’s work or if they aren’t enamored with any other catching options on the open market.

From Sanchez’s perspective, this particular scenario with Milwaukee would allow him the same playing time as he would in a normal platoon situation elsewhere, with the bonus of playing for a perpetual contender.  Now entering his age-32 season, Sanchez should get some attention from other teams due to the ever-churning nature of the catching market, even if his heyday as an All-Star with the Yankees is now increasingly in the rearview mirror.  Sanchez did rebound to hit 19 homers in 2023 with the Padres, though he brought little else to the offensive table apart from that power.