The New York Yankees have signed catcher Chris Iannetta to a minor league deal.
Ianetta, who will turn 37 just after opening day, spent the past two years -- and the first six years of his career -- with the Colorado Rockies. He was a backup, playing in 52 games in 2019, and is going to be competing for a backup job with the Yankees as well. At one time Iannetta was a decent offensive catcher. He has hit a combined .223/.335/.395 (82 OPS+) in 162 games over the past two years, however.
It would seem that either Kyle Higashioka or Erik Kratz would have a better shot of being Gary Sánchez’s backup but, if nothing else, Iannetta will be given a shot to showcase himself for other teams while getting work in down in Tampa this spring.
