The Milwaukee Brewers currently have a log jam at the catcher position. William Contreras is the top choice to play everyday and is coming off of a tremendous first season with the Crew. They additionally added prospect Jeferson Quero to the 40-man roster earlier this off-season, signed Eric Haase, signed Austin Nola, and most recently paid catcher/designated hitter Gary Sanchez $7 million to join the team.
What role will Gary Sanchez have with the Milwaukee Brewers?
Gary Sanchez’s deal is still pending a physical so it hasn’t officially been announced by the Brewers yet. However if he is indeed making $7 million in 2024 that sum of money indicates that they want his bat in the lineup frequently. This could be accomplished by having him and Contreras split duties at catcher and designated hitter.
What does this mean for Eric Haase and Austin Nola?
Eric Haase signed back in December and at that point it was believed that he would be the backup catcher to Contreras. This no longer appears to be the case and makes him expendable. On the other hand Austin Nola, who signed a minor league contract, may choose to opt out of his deal if there are a few players blocking his path to the big leagues. The soonest he can opt out is March 24.
1 MLB Insider suggests that Eric Haase could get traded.
In Ken Rosenthal’s latest notebook he took a further look at the Brewers situation at catcher. He hypothesized that Milwaukee may look to trade Eric Haase later on in spring training because it doesn’t make sense to have four catchers on the 40-man roster come opening day.
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