What’s a first year arbitration-eligible catcher worth? One who has posted 11.4 fWAR in his first four seasons, despite never appearing in more than 122 games in a season? If you’re the Yankees, you apparently believe he’s worth the second-highest contract ever given to a catcher in his first round of arbitration. Over the weekend the club and Gary Sanchez agreed on a $5 million dollar deal, avoiding the maligned arbitration process entirely.
The only catcher to get more in Sanchez’s situation was Buster Posey, and that should be a signal to fans just how much the Yankees believe in their backstop.