After waiting a month to make their first free agent signing of the winter, the Orioles took only a couple hours to make their second.
The club signed veteran catcher Gary Sánchez to a one-year, $8.5 million contract Saturday, according to multiple reports. The news comes mere hours after the Orioles agreed to a three-year deal with outfielder Tyler O’Neill.
Sánchez, 32, is a two-time All-Star and former Silver Slugger Award winner who has moved into a backup role with various clubs in recent seasons.
The Dominican native hit .220 with 11 home runs and 37 RBIs in 89 games for the Milwaukee Brewers last season. Sánchez spent the first seven years of his career with the New York Yankees.
He will likely take over backup catching duties behind Orioles All-Star Adley Rutschman, replacing the departed James McCann after he filed for free agency this offseason. McCann, acquired in a 2022 trade with the New York Mets, hit .228 with 14 home runs in two seasons with the Orioles.
The New York Post was the first to report the news of Sánchez’s signing.
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