Before Gary Sánchez signed with the Orioles, the catcher decided to do some scouting of his own. Baltimore knew what they liked in Sánchez, after all; now it was his turn to discover what it was about the Orioles that would be the distinguishing factor in his free agency search.

So he reached out to infielder Jorge Mateo, whom he knows from their time together in the New York Yankees organization.

“Man, there’s a lot of great people here,” Mateo told his compatriot of the Dominican Republic. “A lot of great teammates. We have a really good manager. It’s an exciting time and we have a lot of great chemistry here.”

“So,” Sánchez said through team interpreter Brandon Quinones, “I thought that was obviously great to hear.”

Sánchez arrives in Baltimore on a one-year deal worth $8.5 million, and he already has connections to some of his new teammates. Mateo, for one. There’s also right-hander Yennier Cano, whom Sánchez worked with while they were with the Minnesota Twins in 2022.

That can make the adjustment period easier. But Sánchez is no stranger to the hypercompetitive American League East, and he’s excited to return to the division as Baltimore’s backup catcher.

“It’s a division where I started my professional career, so I feel like I know the stadiums very well,” Sánchez said. “Yankee Stadium, Oriole Park, even Toronto. I’m very excited. I’m looking forward to getting back out here. I know the Orioles are a very competitive team. They’ve done a lot of great things these last couple of years, so I’m looking to join the race again and being competitive.”

What Sánchez will bring to that competition remains to be seen. He’s coming off a season with the Milwaukee Brewers in which he hit .220 with a .699 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, and his defensive work didn’t earn plaudits.

According to Statcast, Sánchez recorded negative-27 blocks above average combined between 2020 and 2024. Last season with the Brewers, Sánchez was also a below-average pitch framer, meaning he was less likely to steal strikes for his pitchers on borderline calls.

As such, Sánchez didn’t play behind the dish many times last year. He was used primarily as a designated hitter — in 89 games, only 28 came at catcher. But general manager Mike Elias sees upside defensively.

“As he kind of matures into a veteran catcher, and he’s changed some of his receiving tactics a few years ago, he’s just getting to be a smarter, savvier player,” Elias said last week at the winter meetings. “He’s got a lot of arm strength still, which I think is going to be really nice from that position. And, we heard really good things about the way he was working with pitching staffs.”

Sánchez said he hasn’t been informed exactly what his role will be for Baltimore, but there will be plenty of competition for playing time at designated hitter given the split at first base between Ryan Mountcastle and Ryan O’Hearn and the potential of outfielder Heston Kjerstad.

Catcher Adley Rutschman is expected to start the majority of games behind the plate, but as the Orioles monitor his workload, a backup is imperative (James McCann, for instance, appeared at catcher in 65 games last season).

“It’s the manager’s decision and I leave it up to him,” Sánchez said. “If they want me to be the designated hitter, I’ll be more than happy to do that. If they want me to catch, I’ll do that, as well. Even if they want to put me at first base, I’ll be more than happy to do that, as well. So, whatever helps the team win.”

Even at 32, Sánchez said he’s excited to learn from Rutschman — another appealing quality surrounding the Orioles. Sánchez thinks he can offer some advice for the 26-year-old, too, especially given Sánchez’s postseason experience.

He reached the playoffs with Milwaukee last season, and with the Yankees, navigating the arduous American League East, he appeared in five straight postseasons from 2017 to 2021. He can expect to push for another October appearance in 2025.

“It’s an honor to be part of this team now,” Sánchez said. “They have a lot of great, young talent, a real exciting group, and I’m just looking forward to going out there and helping any way that I can to support this team and help this team win.”