Seattle Mariners Bring in Gaby Sanchez on Minor League Deal
By Ben Renner
The Seattle Mariners signed former All-Star first baseman Gaby Sanchez to a minor league deal with an invite to Major League camp on Friday.
The first base situation for the Seattle Mariners last season was such a disaster that one of Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto’s main goals this offseason was to completely revamp the position. He traded Logan Morrison, who was forced out of his starting role by the end of last season after putting up a miserable .225/.302/.383 batting line in 146 games. He added Adam Lind, Travis Ishikawa, and now Sanchez in an attempt to add some depth to the position and give new M’s manager Scott Servais a few viable options at first base beside Jesus Montero, who is somehow still with the team.
Gaby Sanchez is by no means an everyday starter at first base, and when Spring Training ends in late March, he could be cut from the team, but his addition is yet another example of the buy-low approach that Dipoto has taken with the team so far this offseason. Sanchez, a seven-year veteran for the Marlins and Pirates, spent the 2015 season playing in Japan for the Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he slashed only .226/.328/.392.
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Sanchez made the National League All-Star Team in 2011 with the Marlins. He finished that season with 19 homers, 35 doubles, and a very respectable .352 on-base percentage. Before falling flat for the Pirates in 2014 at the plate, Sanchez posted a solid .254/.361/.402 slash in 136 games in 2013. Dipoto wants Sanchez for his ability to get on base and make contact, two skills that he values greatly. He offers Sanchez a chance to prove he can compete at the Major League level again and a chance to be a part of a productive first base platoon in Seattle.
Next: Jerry Dipoto's 2016 Mariners
Adam Lind figures to be the answer to the black hole at first base the Mariners dealt with last year, but he’ll need help against left-handed pitching. He has posted an atrocious .586 OPS against lefties in his career. Dipoto is lining the bench with hitters who at least have the potential to replace Lind in the lineup against LHPs. He inherited Montero and he added Sanchez to bolster a problem area for the Seattle Mariners infield.