Gary Sanchez has an opt out date approaching and the Mets should act

According to Will Sammon of The Athletic, the New York Mets may need to act this week if Gary Sanchez is going to stay. His hot start in Syracuse has caught everyone’s attention. Unfortunately, patience isn’t on our side.

May 19 is this Friday which doesn’t give us much time. The Mets currently have Francisco Alvarez and Michael Perez sharing catching duties in the majors. It might be demoting Perez for a period of time to see if Sanchez’s bat can take off in the majors. Otherwise, what was the point of this experiment that seems to have reached its next step already?

The Mets have no reason not to see what Gary Sanchez can do in the majors

While Tomas Nido and Omar Narvaez remain on the IL, there is no reason to hold back on promoting Sanchez. There is definitely the negative of stealing playing time away from Alvarez. But just because both are catchers doesn’t mean the Mets have to rest Alvarez any extra. On a short leash, they need to give it a try.

Sanchez’s career numbers against lefties are somewhat surprisingly weaker than the damage he did against righties. A career .208/.316/.459 hitter versus southpaws compared to a .231/.310/.470 slash line versus righties, he has done the opposite of what we’d expect. The assumption of him being an improved right-handed DH option doesn’t seem to be likely.

If those splits hold true, letting Sanchez catch versus righties once or twice a week might be the approach to take. Let him be a pinch-hitting option for the ball club, too. Just get that bat to the plate and see if this once mighty New York slugger has anything left in the tank.

When the Mets signed Sanchez to a minor league deal last week it was one of the more unexpected deals. Nido’s IL placement shortly after had it making a little more sense. A strong showing on the farm should be enough to try it out. We know Perez’s ceiling is “journeyman backup.” To help spark the offense, the Mets need to consider a promotion.

Needless to say, hammering Triple-A pitchers is much different than doing it versus major leaguers. Over the last three seasons, Sanchez has batted .195/.287/.394 with 49 home runs in 294 games. Sanchez could just as easily become more of the same for the Mets. You’d be wise to expect it. We never know until it happens. Perez has the minor league option remaining. Before Sanchez up and leaves, it’ll be worth finding out what he can offer.

Sanchez won't save the Mets. He can help them win a few games.