Pittsburgh Pirates Sign Backup Catcher, Claim Intriguing Young Righty Off Waivers

Sanchez is set to join the Pirates on a one-year deal, coming off a full season with the Arizona Diamondbacks' Triple-A affiliate in Reno.

The 26-year-old hit .311 with 11 home runs, 43 RBI and an .866 OPS in 67 games with the Aces. Sanchez made just one error and threw out 22 baserunners in 427.2 innings behind the dish.

The Diamondbacks claimed Sanchez off waivers from the Pirates last December, less than two months after the Pirates snagged him from the Detroit Tigers. Sanchez had previously been with the New York Mets and St. Louis Cardinals.

Sanchez made his MLB debut with the Mets in 2020, but he has not played in the majors since 2021. He is 3-for-13 with two doubles, a walk and zero errors in seven MLB appearances.

Muñoz, on the other hand, has yet to reach the big leagues.

The 23-year-old righty came up through the Atlanta Braves' farm system before getting let go this past July. The Washington Nationals scooped him up and placed Muñoz in Triple-A for the rest of the season.

A year after going 8-4 with a 4.66 ERA, 1.385 WHIP and 10.7 strikeouts per nine innings, Muñoz went 4-6 with a 5.42 ERA, 1.577 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in 2023. He also walked 6.1 batters per nine innings across all levels this season, up from 3.8 in 2022.

Sanchez and Muñoz are now both on the Pirates' 40-man roster, giving them each a solid chance at earning an invitation to spring training. It remains to be seen if there is room for them on the active roster come April, since there are surely plenty of moves to be made between now and then.