Angels expected to non-tender Gordon Beckham - MLB

Tomorrow night is the deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players on their 40-man roster. With that in mind, Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com reports that the Angels are expected to non-tender infielder Gordon Beckham.

Beckham was acquired from the White Sox in late August and batted .268 with two home runs and a .756 OPS in 61 plate appearances down the stretch. The 28-year-old owns a disappointing .660 OPS (80 OPS+) since his rookie season in 2009 and simply isn’t worth the estimated $5 million salary that he would likely receive in his final year of arbitration. The Angels are interested in bringing him back at a lesser rate to serve as a backup infielder, but the former top prospect will be free to explore opportunities elsewhere.

The Angels are also expected to non-tender left-hander Wade LeBlanc, but David Freese will be tendered a contract for 2015. Freese earned $5.05 million this past season while batting .260/.321/.383 with 10 home runs and 55 RBI in 134 games. He’s arbitration-eligible for the final time this winter.

Follow @djshort

SAN DIEGO — The scuffling San Diego Padres claimed catcher Gary Sánchez off waivers from the New York Mets.

The two-time All-Star was designated for assignment after playing in three games for the Mets. He went 1 for 6 with three strikeouts and an RBI, looking shaky at times behind the plate.

With the disappointing Padres (24-29) getting meager offensive production at catcher, they hope Sánchez can provide a boost. Austin Nola is batting .131 with three extra-base hits and a paltry .434 OPS in 39 games. His part-time platoon partner, second-stringer Brett Sullivan, is hitting .170 with four extra-base hits and a .482 OPS in 21 games since getting called up from the minors April 16.

Luis Campusano has been on the injured list since April 17 and is expected to be sidelined until around the All-Star break following left thumb surgery.

San Diego is responsible for just over $1 million in salary for Sánchez after assuming his $1.5 million, one-year contract.

The star-studded Padres have lost seven of 11 and are 3-3 on a nine-game East Coast trip. They open a three-game series at Miami.

San Diego becomes the third National League team to take a close look at the 30-year-old Sánchez this season. He spent time in the minors with San Francisco before getting released May 2 and signing a minor league contract a week later with the Mets, who were minus a couple of injured catchers at the time.

After hitting well in a short stint at Triple-A Syracuse, he was promoted to the big leagues May 19. When the Mets reinstated catcher Tomás Nido from the injured list last week, Sánchez was cut.

Sánchez’s best seasons came early in his career with the New York Yankees, where he was runner-up in 2016 AL Rookie of the Year voting and made the AL All-Star team in 2017 and 2019.

He was traded to Minnesota before the 2022 season and batted .205 with 16 homers and 61 RBIs in 128 games last year.

With the Padres, Sánchez could also be a candidate for at-bats at designated hitter, where 42-year-old Nelson Cruz is batting .245 with three homers, 16 RBIs and a .670 OPS, and 37-year-old Matt Carpenter is hitting .174 with four homers, 21 RBIs and a .652 OPS.