Milwaukee Brewers, Former All-Star Agree to Deal Despite Health Concerns

It's been a whirlwind two weeks for former All-Star catcher Gary Sanchez, but he is on the verge of finally signing with the Milwaukee Brewers.

We had heard two weeks ago that Sanchez and the team were coming to an agreement, but then Sanchez didn't report to camp and a deal wasn't finalized.

Now, we know what the hold up was, per Ken Rosenthal of 'The Athletic:'

The Brewers had lingering concern over the condition of Sánchez’s right wrist after his physical, and the expectation is he will accept a lower base salary with incentives that would enable him to earn the original $7 million if he stays healthy. His initial deal also included a mutual option for 2025.

With the Brewers, Sanchez is expected to see time at catcher and at designated hitter.

The 31-year-old played 72 games for the Padres last year after a three-game stint with the New York Mets. He's hit for low averages for the last several years and that continued in 2023 as he hit .218, but he remained a power source, popping 19 home runs.

Sanchez is a nine-year veteran who has played for the New York Yankees, Minnesota Twins, Mets and Padres. He came up with the Yankees and was a two-time All-Star in New York. Along with Aaron Judge and Luis Severino, he was part of the "Baby Bombers," that were supposed to bring sustained greatness to the franchise.

He's a career .225 hitter with 173 home runs.

The Brewers are coming off a season in which they won the National League Central but were eliminated in the playoffs by the Arizona Diamondbacks.