The Milwaukee Brewers entered the offseason with a potential need at backup catcher. Danny Jansen was hitting free agency and was unlikely to return, ultimately signing with the Texas Rangers. That left just William Contreras and prospect Jeferson Quero as the only catchers on the 40-man roster.
While Quero is still viewed by many as the Brewers’ catcher of the future, it still seemed they needed additional catching depth to get through the season. Now, as pitchers and catchers officially report to spring training, the Brewers have finally made that addition at catcher.
Jon Heyman has reported that the Brewers have brought back 33-year-old Gary Sánchez on a one-year, $1.75 million deal.
The Brewers first signed Sánchez for the 2024 season on a one-year deal. He also saw time at DH and first base. That season, he hit .220 with 11 homers and a .699 OPS in 89 games. During the final two months of the season, he was part of a three-man weave at catcher and DH with Contreras and Eric Haase to help manage the loss of Christian Yelich to a back injury.
Last season, the Brewers let Sánchez walk to roll with Eric Haase as the backup catcher. Sánchez signed with the Baltimore Orioles where he posted a .231 average with five homers and a .715 OPS in 29 games as he dealt with wrist, finger, and knee injuries that limited his time on the field.
Sánchez is now the favorite to be the backup catcher to William Contreras in 2026. Jeferson Quero is now likely to start the season back in Triple-A Nashville for some more seasoning and regular playing time. Contreras doesn’t come out of the lineup often so this may end up being better for Quero in the long run.
One big benefit to this signing is that Sánchez does have some familiarity with the Brewers pitching staff. Granted there has been a decent number of new additions to this staff since Sánchez was here last, but still, he knows the coaching staff and should be able to pick things up quickly.
Sánchez brings a veteran presence to the catching room and is comfortable in that backup role. The Brewers also have Reese McGuire on a minor league deal with an invite to spring training to have additional depth should any injuries occur in the coming weeks.