The San Francisco Giants' aggressive pursuit of minor league free agents continued Tuesday as the team has reportedly agreed to terms with former Chicago White Sox second baseman Yolmer Sanchez.
The deal was first reported by Ken Rosenthal.
Sanchez, 27, has spent the last three seasons as the White Sox starting second baseman, but was non-tendered this winter despite taking home the 2019 American League Gold Glove at his position.
A switch-hitting infielder who has the versatility to play both second and third, Sanchez will enter spring training with a chance to secure the starting job at second base. The Giants are confident Mauricio Dubon will play a significant role in the infield this year, but Sanchez's signing gives Dubon competition while also offering manager Gabe Kapler the opportunity to move the speedy Dubon around the diamond.
Sanchez's offensive profile is relatively similar to former Giants second baseman Joe Panik, but Sanchez strikes out far more frequently than Panik. Over the last two seasons, Sanchez posted an OPS + of 80 while Panik posted an OPS + of 77.
Through his six-year major league career, Sanchez owns relatively even splits at the plate and has produced a slightly- higher slugging percentage as a left-handed hitter (.363) than as a right-handed hitter (.338). In 2019, however, Sanchez was much better as a righty as his .738 OPS was 132 points higher than his .606 mark as a lefty.
