Gary Sánchez will indeed be a Milwaukee Brewer.

Nearly two weeks after reaching agreement with the club on a one-year, $7 million contract, the free-agent catcher is close to finalizing the deal, according to sources briefed on the discussions.

The Brewers had lingering concern over the condition of Sánchez’s right wrist after his physical, and the expectation is he will accept a lower base salary with incentives that would enable him to earn the original $7 million if he stays healthy. His initial deal also included a mutual option for 2025.

Sanchez, 31, agreed to terms with the Brewers on Feb. 7. All free agent deals are pending physicals, and restructurings occasionally occur when issues arise.

The Los Angeles Dodgers went through a similar situation with left-hander James Paxton earlier this month, reducing his guarantee from $11 million to $7 million and altering his bonus structure. Paxton later said the Dodgers were concerned about the combination of Tommy John surgery that kept him out for almost two seasons and a right knee injury that ended his 2023 campaign early with the Boston Red Sox.

Sánchez, playing for the San Diego Padres, suffered a season-ending fractured right wrist last Sept. 6 when he was hit by a 98-mph fastball by Jeff Hoffman of the Philadelphia Phillies.

He had enjoyed something a resurgence with the Padres, batting only .218 but hitting 19 homers and producing a .792 OPS in 260 plate appearances. He also formed a successful battery with left-hander Blake Snell, the eventual National League Cy Young Award winner. In 18 consecutive starts with Sánchez as his catcher, Snell had a 1.29 ERA in 105 innings.

The Brewers are expected to use Sánchez as the primary backup to catcher William Contreras and also at DH. They plan to keep another catcher, Eric Haase, whom they signed to a one-year, $1 million free agent deal on Dec. 20, a league source said.

The addition of Sánchez continues a busy five-week period in which the team has added free-agent first baseman Rhys Hoskins on a two-year, $34 million deal and right-hander Jakob Junis on a one-year, $7 million contract. As first reported by the New York Post, the Brewers also reached agreement with righty Brandon Woodruff on a two-year deal, pending a physical.

Those moves, plus the additions of shortstop Joey Ortiz and left-hander DL Hall in the trade with the Orioles for ace right-hander Corbin Burnes, again have club officials confident they will contend in the NL Central.

“We have an expectation to win this year, and we will have a lot of young players who have their first real opportunity to shine in the major leagues,” owner Mark Attanasio said in a news conference Tuesday. “We’ll see who seizes that opportunity.”

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(Top photo of Gary Sánchez: Megan Briggs / Getty Images)