By next Wednesday’s non-tender deadline, the Yankees will have to make a decision on how to proceed with Gary Sánchez. The 27-year-old (28 next week) originally signed with the New York organization as an international amateur back in 2009. He emerged as a top prospect and burst onto the MLB scene with an otherworldly final two months in 2016. He finished as runner-up in AL Rookie of the Year voting that year after hitting 20 home runs in just 229 plate appearances.
Sánchez backed that up with an elite 2017 season that saw him garner some down-ballot MVP support. After an injury-hampered, disappointing 2018 effort, Sánchez seemingly reemerged as one of the game’s premier catchers in 2019. Unfortunately, the wheels fell off completely in 2020, as he hit .147/.253/.365 with a woeful 36% strikeout rate. By the postseason, Sánchez had mostly fallen behind Kyle Higashioka on the depth chart.
He’s also drawn his share of criticism for his work behind the plate. Some of that is deserved, as his 52 passed balls over the past five seasons leads the sport. Sánchez generally rated as a slightly below-average pitch framer as well. But his rocket arm has helped him cut down 32.6% of attempted basestealers in his career, well above the league average of 27.2%. Altogether, he’s a generally average defensive catcher in the estimation of Defensive Runs Saved (although he did rate rather poorly in 2020).
So, how to proceed with a player who has had his share of ups and downs? Over his career, Sánchez has been plenty productive in the Bronx. His .236/.320/.502 career slash line works out to a 117 wRC+, indicating he’s been seventeen points better than the league average hitter. Among qualified catchers, only Yasmani Grandal has edged out Sánchez offensively since the latter broke into the league. Sánchez’s projected $5.1MM – $6.4MM arbitration salary would be a bargain if he can rediscover that form at the plate. But the backstop’s most recent season was atrocious, leaving the Yankees’ front office in a bind.
There isn’t another clear fit at catcher on the current roster. A team with World Series aspirations can’t feel comfortable turning the primary job over to Higashioka. Free agency offers a few options. J.T. Realmuto is the prize, but James McCann and Yadier Molina look like potential regulars. (The Yankees have shown some interest in Molina already). To non-tender Sánchez would be a tough blow, though, considering how recently he looked like a franchise cornerstone. They could explore the trade market, but Sánchez isn’t exactly teeming with surplus value, as Craig Edwards of FanGraphs recently explored.
Assuming opposing teams aren’t willing to give up much value in trade, where should GM Brian Cashman and the front office go from here?
(poll link for app users)
As a Boston fan, I have seen the shortcomings of Sanchez and recognize the continuing urge for them to move on. However, his market is at a low and they don’t have an immediate long-term answer if they do unload him. Unless they can get controllable starting pitching or a projectable catching prospect as Higashioka insurance, then they should just hold for now and hope he can rebound in a full season.
I’m not sure how much they need catching prospects. They took catchers with their top pick in a 2018 and 2020 and presumably are hoping at least one of them will work out (last I checked both were ranked fairly high in their prospects lists). If I were the yanks I’d be looking for a good defensive catcher on 1-2 yr deal until these guys are ready and can keep sanchez as the backup and put him in for offensive power.
I generally agree with the defensive first/well-rounded approach at catcher as they’re trying to win a championship this season. Their first-round pick this year, Austin Wells, projects as a bat-first talent and is questionable to stay at catcher, ala Kyle Schwarber without the pedigree. Anthony Seigler, 2018 first, is more athletic and fits the niche I was thinking, so good shout there.
Problem is Sanchez has always been more of a DH, and that role will be filled most often by Stanton and also Judge. I say bring in a real catcher like Molina or Realmuto and let Sanchez be the backup, catching maybe once a week. If he rediscovers his stroke then trade him ASAP, because he’s too lazy to be a consistent contributor over the course of multiple seasons.
Let the Yankees have Realmuto for $23 million per year. I’ll take Sanchez in Philly at about a quarter of that salary and we will do just fine. With his power, Sanchez could easily be a 40 homer guy at CBP.
So roughly 2/3 of the votes on here say trade/ non tender Sanchez or make him the backup catcher. I agree with those votes. If this is a World Championship team which it hasn’t been for 11 years then you need a better all around starting catcher. Might as well trade for Chris Davis give him a catchers mitt and make him the starting catcher. Those 2 are mirror offensive players at this point.
As an Orioles fan I think you are being extremely unfair to Sánchez here haha
No, I think last year Gary did a very good Chris Davis impression.
If this is a world champion caliber organization you don’t throw away assets at their lowest possible value. Especially when they have the potential to be the best in the game at their position have a low salary on a one year deal.
No need to bet the season on him as the starter but nuts to dump him right now.
The only way to increase Sanchez’ trade value is to play him, and only if he rebounds. If he doesn’t, he no longer will be regarded as “having potential”, so his trade value will actually worsen. Moreover, if you play him, and he doesn’t rebound, you have seriously damaged your playoff hopes; especially if you avoid finding a viable replacement as a result. The point is, whether you trade him or not, either decision is a trade-off that has some downside. Trading him prematurely means you are risking some upside value; holding onto him too long means you are also risking some trade value (although less), but also risking your WS chances.
I fully agree with Crime Dog, and the Chris Davis comparison is right on the money.
BTW, The Crime Dawg belongs in the HOF. One of my all-time favorite players. Showed up every day; never bi*ched and was a solid clubhouse force.
Fred McGriff .. Only CD can manage such a feat. He can take a dollar from you faster than you can blink. He can convince you that your wife isn’t ugly, and that you look like George Clooney. He once took out someone for their birthday and convinced them to pay the bill. He is the most interesting man in the world.
Unfulfilled potential. Back in the ‘90s, the Cardinals wasted considerable time waiting for Geronimo Pena.
Imo no reason to move Sanchez on a down year, higgy proved he can be serviceable in stretches. Let higgy platoon with Sanchez and let Sanchez DH and catch with an emphasis on hitting. Let him revive that value then reassess.
DH is spoken for as long as Stanton isn’t on the IL again
He’s not going anywhere. Too much potential.
The starting outching has become subpar because of him being a liability behind the plate. I wouldn’t hang onto him based on “potential” if he’s dragging the pitching down
Pitching (darn autocorrect)
I like “outching”, it describes the Angels starters perfectly.
to be fair, most of NYY’s better SP have beeb injured most of the time
Potential? He’s no rookie.
The problem is his position. If he was an outfielder, this wouldn’t be an issue.
If the Yankees keep him, they should just use him as a DH only.
And then put Stanton on the IL when he hurts himself coming back in from LF?
Potential? Greg Bird says hello.
The potential is as an offensive player. It’s obvious he’s never going to be even a league average catcher, it’s been four plus seasons and he was erratic in the minors.
Tough spot for Yanks.
I believe he can turn it around. I just don’t think he can do it in pinstripes.
No clearly he will. Yankee fans said he was the best catcher in the game. Are you saying those fans are dumb?
At that time most pundits were also calling him one of the best.
You’re really not very good at this trolling thing are you?
I agree with what you are saying Joe. He needs to go to a team with an open DH spot so he can focus on hitting.
@johhhypunk
Leave the conversation to the adults in the room
Did they?
Did those darn Yankee fans say that their two time All Star catcher who was the fastest catcher in the history of MLB to reach 100 home runs was the “best catcher in the game”? I really don’t recall seeing that particular take.
But, golly.
I can see why you’re so angry about it.
Those dadburn Yankee fans and their gol dang All Star players.
harumph!
Not dumb, just biased.
Why?
I don’t think he’s overwhelmed with NY or pressure. I think he became a rich celebrity and lost his focus. It isn’t uncommon and it isn’t always easy to turn around. I agree sometimes that takes a new location and clubhouse and that could be the case here but I actually think that if he just showed up in good shape and got back to the grind he’d be fine pretty quickly.
If becoming the new Mendoza doesn’t motivate him I’m not sure a trade will either.
@emac.. I saw Dave Valle and Ron Darling talk about Sanchez. They were of the opinion that he’s suffering from an analytics overload that’s now affecting his hitting and would be best to be moved to a team less focused on analytics.
Thanks Joe!
I don’t believe that at all and am surprised they came up with it. When you can’t hit a 90 MPH fastball down the middle it really isn’t about analytics unless you’ve just given up trying because you’re so confused.
If he was in good physical shape or was doing something right I think you could point to the effort and interest required to beat the best players in the world but I really just didn’t see anything that would indicate an effort or an information overload other than he was historically bad and didn’t seem interested in any advice.
A poor defensive catcher not interested in analytics is a DH anyway.
Do you remember if they pointed to anything specific that they noticed or was it just a theory to explain the numbers?
Just a theory I’m guessing. They didn’t go into great detail on it.
That’s it in a nutshell, emac. Sanchez has never taken his conditioning seriously and that really caught up to him last year. He’s slow to react behind the plate, he can’t run and he’s lazy with balls in the dirt. Sanchez really needs to spend this offseason getting in the best shape of his life. If he could lose 20 lbs and add some muscle, his bat speed will be quicker, he’d be more agile behind the plate and he just might have a chance to return to form. If he just sits around all offseason and ignores his body then it’s going to be another bad season for him that could end up with a DFA. This is the most important season of Sanchez’s career; let’s see what he decides to do about it.
I generally appreciate your comments, @mantooth.
But, jeeez, there’s just simply so much completely wrong with that particular post. Really.
I can’t even begin to unpack it all. You’ve taken all of the inaccurate narratives around Gary Sanchez and combined them into a single comment.
Man, the buffleheads & golden eyes were in abundance today at sunrise. The Jints are in first place & I’m cooking a huge dinner (using some of the aforementioned buffleheads).
So sadly I don’t have the time right now to really address your comment.
Believe me, however. I could not disagree with it more. Just couldn’t.
No, he’s right.
Effort has been an issue with Sanchez since his minor league days. He’s 28 now. Being that C is a defense first position and Yanks are blocked at DH, management has to at least consider moving on.
Ron Darling may be a half-Asian Yale grad; but he majored in “American Studies”, not Math. I don’t think he really is an analytics guy.
Bull.
I’m a Yankee fan. I’ve see damn near every MLB game he’s played. He did need a pull-up in the minors. That is true. But, that was in regards to game prep. *Not* effort.
This is a narrative that arose a couple years ago during a series against the Rays when he was playing with a strained groin. He didn’t hurry after a passed ball. He didn’t “hustle out of the box” on a grounder. He couldn’t. He was put back on the IL the next day.
The Yanks rushed him back from the original stint. Gary shows up to play, man. Sure he’s a heftier fella. Dude’s strong as a Clydesdale however, serious. & – well – he’s also a *catcher*.
In the end, the notion that the Yanks would even consider releasing him is completely laughable.
@kevins
I think Sanchez finds himself in a bit of a perfect storm and for speed I’ll number the points as to why…
1) Change of catching coach (Tanner Swanson) change of pitching coach (Matt Blake) – doesn’t seem to have helped…
2) The $324million Gerrit Cole makes it quite clear who he’d prefer his catcher to be, and it isn’t Sanchez. (This to me makes as much of a statement about Cole as it does Sanchez but hey)
3) Giancarlo Stanton having been durable throughout his career lands in NY and after one very full season now appears to made of breadsticks and cookie dough rather than flesh & bones and as Kevin says that blocks Sanchez for DH time.
4) An incredibly demanding fanbase/press which even calls out Aaron Judge. .
I wonder what Erik Kratz’s opinion of Sanchez is?
Nevertheless NYY is (IMHO – flame away) unlikely to non-tender him. If the DH is extended in the NL either permanently or at least for next year, there’ll be 15 more landing spots (give or take). Does anyone know when this decision is to be made?
Obviously IF the NL carries the DH in 2021 then his trade value increases. There’s no guarantee NYY will get Realmuto – is James McCann really that much better?
I’m sorry but unless they can make a Realmuto type upgrade (and looking at the other 20 or so catchers in FA) there’s then Molina (aged 38), Wilson Ramos (!!!!) and very little else – I don’t see the point in throwing out the baby with the bath water…. .
Hey, there he is.
What’s good, @A’sfaninLondon?
I see this wasn’t meant for me. But I got a notification to a reply. & – well – here I am.
Just wanted to say, excellent synopsis. Worth my upvote.
Thanks Francis
All good for a Monday – trust you got out early this morning?
Took the £1 a month subscription on the Athletic, so been reading whilst “unpacking” from the move. Slow going, quick reading. Great article on Jim Leyland, I’ve got to say the quality of the writing though in comparison to mlbtr is negligable. – and the quality of the comments is not as good.
Did a little bit of research and no-one seems to have a date on the NL the DH.
I’ll throw a brief one at you = as a former pitcher – (are you righty or southpaw?) – Mickey Lolich HOF worthy?
Peter
Yeah for sure.
I’m a morning person. So I was up & out early. This time of year, I like to have a hot breakfast available for & cook a nice dinner for my son & girlfriend when she’s here. During the day I live the good life. Get the girls out for some hunting, read, etc.
I keep forgetting to renew my subscription. The writing *is* pretty good. I never left many comments over there. Leyland was a helluva manager.
I can’t find anything on that either. I’m an AL guy but I’ve always liked the two leagues being different. Better game with the DH, imo.
Righty. Just responded to Rangers29. He threw 60 fastballs this afternoon. Just reading that made my shoulder groan in protest.
Lolich? Yeah, I’d think so.
Afternoon Ducky
Cheers (and by the way I’ve always admired a witty moniker)
Thanks for the agreement on Mickey Lolich. I agree any HOF should be an elite institution but I don’t necessarily agree a great body of work is sacrosanct to that. It’s why I think Roger Maris is a terrible omission as well as Mickey Lolich. Additionally I don’t want these guys to be long dead before a veterans committee eventually grants them an irrelevant day in the sun.
You could (to use a stupid example) argue against Sandy Koufax – utterly dominant for (“only”) 6 seasons, gone at age 30.
Had to admit I didn’t have a lot of time for Leyland (my fault, my bad, I was too bitter about 2012/3 defeats against the Tigers in the ALDS) but reading the stories – top top fellow.
I’ll doubtless bore you about the lack of a DH in the NL but I was astonished my first time in SF (I didn’t notice it at the Cubs games) when at the end of the 2nd, 1 on, 2 out & everyone took a toilet break as pitcher Ryan Vogelsong came up to bat.
Re: Rangers29 – let’s try and quietly find out the young mans name a have a $10 bet on him winning a Cy Young by 2040. Hope I’ll be around to see it!
Take care – Peter
When he’s up, he’s up… when he’s down, he’s down. He won’t have any trouble whatsoever finding a starting job if the Yankees don’t want to be into him for arb prices this year. He’s just way too appealing of a reclaim project.
I feel he should be given another chance. Yeah, he put up atrocious numbers last year, but it was only a two month season and players didn’t get a real spring training, were likely distracted by COVID and other external factors, etc. I think teams need to be very careful when evaluating player performances given how strange last season was.
I could see him part of a massive haul for Hader. Have to include a top prospect or 2 (Gil, Florial, garcia…) and some other lower rated ones but brewers need a catcher and I could see him rebuilding his career in Mil. Hitter friendly park. A new change of scenery could do him well. Yanks get one of the best LHP relievers in the game.
The Yankees need catching, starting pitching, and defense. They don’t need another 8th inning guy right now…
I am in favor of a Sanchez (plus prospects) for Hader trade. Yes, Yanks can absolutely use a guy like Hader to help in the bullpen with Green, Britton and Chapman. Getting Hader would be a great move for Yanks.
I think they try and trade him this winter to a team like the Rangers and add Andujar to sweeten the pot, or to the Rockies for one of their pitchers.
The problem is neither him nor Andujar have much appeal right now, especially together. 2 guys known for great bats and bad gloves coming off seasons where the bats weren’t even great… honestly I Iike andujar as a player and think he’s got a ton of upside if he can return to rookie season form with all his injuries. I’d take a chance on him if I were another team. But I also feel like right now at best you’re offering 2 guys who would ideally DH and you only have 1 DH slot. Unless you think you can work with one of them to play 1B.
Sanchez has zero value right now and Andujar can only be relied on as a DH part time OF so I agree you never see these two packaged together. I can see Andujar packaged with some prospects for a pitcher however.
His value is only as a DH. Trading a DH is tough because most teams have a player that can hit but not play defense. The minors is full of them. He has a little trade value but not anything more than a reliever or a 5th starter value.
That’s why I said package deal. He would not headline the deal for sure. But say Schmidt, Andujar, and another prospect would definitely get you more than a #5.
Andujar still has value. Schmidt might have some value. Sanchez right now is more of a throw in.
Sanchez at $6 mil would hinder the deal not improve it. You can’t even throw him in.
His $6 million isn’t guaranteed so they can just release him instead of paying somebody to take him.
It’s guaranteed as soon as they offer the contract. So if they tender him the contract for $6 mil on Wednesday then trade him in Thursday, the other team would have to pay the full $6 mil.
Lynn is a one year rental!
I’m thinking the Marlins but I also think they get a lot more in trade if they wait until the deadline.. They’re both good players who couldn’t really have less value than they do now and I expect both to show up and look better than they did last year.
See what it would take to do an expanded deal for Lindor and Carrasco. See if Cleveland has interest in Sanchez as a part of a deal that would inevitably include some combo of +/- Frazier, Schmidt, Garcia, Voit, others. A team that can afford to be a little more patient might be interested in Sanchez.
Cleveland would have no interest in Gary Sanchez. The Indians value defense, especially at catcher. The Indians have the two time AL Gold Glove catcher. They not only would not trade for him, they would not roster Gary Sanchez.
The Yankees have two choices. One keep him and pray or non tender. I don’t see anyone trading much for him.
Sorry, but I think I’ll puke if I ever have to one more time watch his fat ass plod to the backstop after one of his endless passed balls. He appears to be one of the laziest baseball players ever, and has absolutely no idea of the strike zone. Just get him outa there. So much wasted potential!
Depth is never a bad thing. Go grab mccann who is already accustomed to splitting time and see what your depth chart looks like after some spring training. Not that complicated as its being made out to be imo. They can afford mccanns asking price im sure as well
As far as trade i dont think his value will bring back much but perhaps this publicly being a last chance to perform might light the proverbial fire under his ass to put the work in on and off the field. Either way hurry up baseball i miss you
The Yankees have overcoached this kid.
Leave him alone,let him figure it out.
At $6M you bring him back. It’s cheaper than what is out there.
If he stumbles in 21,the trade deadline will be ripe.
Idk sometimes I wonder if they undercoached him… he takes every first pitch strike right down the middle of the plate and then swings like a madman at breaking balls in the dirt about 6 inches off the plate. Before you even blink he’s in the hole 0-2 every single at bat so of course he strikes out all the time. Pitch selection/recognition should be something he could work through… I know it’s easier said than done but for millions of dollars per yr it should be doable
But he’s not cheaper than what is out there. Especially if he’s no-longer an offensive powerhouse. If the Yanks are happy with Higgy as a platoon then they can easily get a complimentary catcher for $1 to $2 mil and then redirect the $4 to $5 mil savings on pitching. This is of course if Hal really is forcing Cashman to stay under the tax threshold. If they aren’t concerned about that then this savings doesn’t really matter.
With the new metrics teams need a catcher that understands them and can execute the game plan. I am not sure it Sanchez is doing that for the Yanks.
HIs gut tells me the issue is probably more about his effort than inconsistent coaching. He isn’t going to be good enough defensively unless he’s in better shape and it’s looking like he might not be able to hit unless he’s in better shape.
He’s worth the lottery ticket based on potential but I can’t blame the team.
Great hitter. One bad less than half a season doesn’t change that at his age…. but probably just not cut out to be a catcher.
Non-tender him and trade for Willson Contreras.
Contreras isn’t much of a defensive upgrade.
Is Contreras a better defender? Yes. Is he a better defender than the metrics suggest? Yes. Is Contreras the better offensive player? Yes.
Problem solved.
He is better, yes. He is not better enough to use the prospect capital required to get him.
Non tender a guy that young after one bad partial season? Bad idea.
He’s been awful at catcher for 3 years.
So find another use for him.
The Yankees have no other use for him, and he has no trade value. Time to move on.
He’s blocked by Voit and Stanton in the only two other options the Yanks could ever hope to have for him.
how high are our standards? he should be starting. name 15 better starting catching options.
Defensive wise just about all of them are better. He ranked high as a catcher because of his bat and his arm. His bat has been bad over three seasons combined and he no longer catches base stealers at a 40% rate.
Still waiting for that list of 15 catchers.
Using Fangraphs, over the past 3 seasons, the following are better defensive catchers:
Austin Hedges, Yasmani Grandal, Christian Vasquez, J.T. Realmuto, Tyler Flowers, Roberto Perez, Mike Zunino, Martin Maldonado, Max Stassi, Buster Posey, Jorge Alfaro, Austin Barnes, Sandy Leon, Manny Pina, Danny Jansen, Yadier Molina, Jeff Mathis, Alex Avila, Luke Maile, Jacob Stallings, Russell Martin, Tony Wooters, Yan Gomes, John Ryan Murphy, Tom Murphy, Jason Castro, and Erik Kratz.
The following are better catchers offensively:
J.T. Realmuto, Yasmani Grandal, Mitch Garver, Will Smith, Wilson Contreas, Austin Nola, Omar Narvez, Sean Murphy, Travis d’Arnaud, Tom Murphy, Fransisco Cerveli, Kurt Suzuki, Curt Casali, A.J. Ellis, Salvador Perez, Wilson Ramos, Dustin Garneau, Rene Riveria, Aramis Garcia, Reese McGuire, Stephen Vogt, Fransisco Arcia, Kevan Smith, Daulton Varsho, Willians Astudillio, Jose Briceno.
As you may have noticed, there’s not much overlap between those two lists. Good defensive catchers normally suck at hitting, and vis versa. So despite scoring poorly in both categories, from 2018-2020, Sanchez is actually the 10th best catcher in the MLB, behind J.T
Realmuto, Yasmani Grandal, Christian Vasquez, Wilson Contreas, Tyler Flowers, Jorge Alfaro, Yadier Molina, Buster Posey, and Mitch Garver.
Great research. Now what is the current price tag for the catcher position from #10 to #15?
to be fair, just a cursory look suggests his arb salery would fit in around where the aforementioned 10 average
Boom, roasted emac! Well done!
I’d take both Molina and McCann over Gary easily.
If you cut his 6 million, you maybe spend 3 or 4 more on one of those guys.
i mean, yeah, put something else on Cashman’s plate and another few million on the team’s tab. what happens when you spend time trying to get those two and potentialy miss while you lose ground improving where you need it – the rotation.
Trade him to the Padres for Nola,Weathers and a prospect.
Bola gives them an established underrated vet, Weather’s a live young arm and another pics too.
Are you including a top prospect like Deivi Garcia? Otherwise Preller laughs at Cashman before hanging up.
Padres aren’t trading a better catcher (Nola), a pitcher (which they need after Clevingers TJS), and a prospect for Jesus Montero 2.0
The best scenario for a Yankees Padres swap is Francisco Mejia and a prospects like Ornelas and Ruiz for Gary Sanchez. Both need a change of scenery. Both were once top prospects.
The non tender candidates bringing backs better catcher, a good prospect, and another prospect on top of that?
I could see the cardinals going after him…makes some sense…they don’t know about Yadi and plus they don’t even have a backup catcher really…they have Knizner yes…and Herrera is a year or two away…but the DH is coming and if Sanchez can find his swing again he would be a nice back-up catcher/DH
His biggest issue is that he is a horrible catcher.
He also strikes out way too much and has had 2 out of his last 3 seasons batting well under .200.
2/3rds of the time over the past 3 years he’s been a butcher of a catcher who hits like Chris Davis.
Send him to Tampa w a slew of prospects for snell
Guys , let’s be realistic . I’m a die hard Yankee fan, but Sanchez is just not our future . He swings at everything, strikes out like crazy, and amazingly his numbers are trending lower.( how much lower can they go?) Sanchez is a horrible fielder and pitchers era are better with backups. Let’s get a better catcher ( realmuto good for now but whatever contract he signs will be horrible during last few years of contract). McCann nice , Molina for a year( Yankees took catchers with top pics two years in a row, no?)
Trade him to the Padres for Austin Nola.
I think I’ve heard one of those guys they drafted, isn’t expected to a catcher by the time all is said and done.
I’d be happy if they brought back Romine and let him and Higgy platoon.
I’d say he goes to the Cardinals if Molina goes somewhere else!!
Defensive liability. Hard stop! Near bottom of rankings in framing, framing of high pitches, and blocking pitches. Plus, he’s extremely slow of foot – like Pujols slow!!! Great pop time and throwing velocity, but doesn’t balance out the other short comings. The Yankees already have too many candidates for DH, with Stanton leading the way. His only true value is as a DH. Time to cut bait.
If the Yankees trade him, would the other team move him to another position for added value (maybe)? I don’t just think Sanchez is a bad catcher, I also think he doesn’t like being a catcher. Free his mind, watch him hit.
IMO just keep him , Higgy can’t stay healthy for a full season he’s 30 years old , sanchez isn’t Old by any means
What makes you think the 30 year old Higgy can’t stay healthy but the 28 year old Sanchez who is often hurt can?
Why is non tender even being discussed?
They should get a legit catcher no matter what and worry about what to do with Sanchez when he shows he can play.
Giving him to another team for free when he could be the best catcher in the game next year is insane.
I dont understand dumping Sanchez either. He can start most games and have a solid defender replace him late in the game. The yankees have not been hurt because of Sanchez.
its not a popular opinion, but a bad player with a history of playing catcher is a better defender at catcher then someone who has no history there. Sanchez is not a great defender there, but is by no means physically incapable.
I’m not sure where that started but I don’t think many take it serious. Listening to Boone a week or so ago you can tell nobody is ready to give up on him. No way they are non-tendering him or even considering trading him.
Yet Boone benched him in favor of Higgy in the playoffs…
Hes drawn his share of criticism for his defense… some is deserved? Holy crap… you think?
This site has dogged nick castellanos calling him unplayable in the field. Yet, he starts in the outfield over others.
I guess if nick wore a yankee uniform…
Sanchez needs to figure it out on another team.
I’d look at 2020 as an aberration and keep him. If he was indeed considered to be “one of the game’s premier catchers” after 2019 it seems crazy to totally bail on him after 60 games of the weirdest season ever.
Especially if he’s only a $5-6M salary hit this year.
What happens with Sanchez comes down to this, do Cash and Hal legitimately want to compete for a championship or do they want to try and get the recognition of being the smartest guy in the room and hope Sanchez puts it together?
If it’s the former then they need to move on. They don’t even need a superstar they just need a professional catcher.
If it’s the latter then they will bring Sanchez back and continue to tell us about his potential and how he has made great strides last year.
Regardless, it’s time for Cashman to be held accountable. He made a bunch of great trades during the rebuild and honestly hasn’t done much else in 20 years. He has missed over and over in the draft and the international market, he has a horrible track record with big contracts, and really now that its 4 years later has had a horrible record of developing talent – the players who have come up through the system are floundering mostly. He has had an embarrassment of wealth and has done little with it. I’m not even talking about their payroll. I’m also talking about the analytics and scouting departments, no other team comes close to the money the Yankees have invested in their front office. Time to put up results Cash and stop celebrating trades from 4 years ago when he was basically just dumb lucky teams were paying a fortune for relievers in trades.
I’m in agreement with getting a new starting catcher but disagree with the low bar and want Realmoto or Molina or one of the other top few catchers in the game.
I don’t even comprehend how you think getting Sanchez off the roster makes any difference with anything on a competitive level. It would be a bad decision that has no potential to help the team and is very likely to hurt the team. Possibly a great deal.
I think they’d be incompetent to get rid of him right off the season he just had. You can’t run a business managing assets like that.
Oh definitely agree with you about keeping him. He is a DH and has a better shot of finding his stroke again if he doesn’t have to worry about not being capable of playing the most demanding position in the game. I’m not ready to give up on Sanchez but it is detrimental to the team and himself by pretending like he is an everyday catcher.
I’d love to see Sanchez get the bulk of the AB’s at DH to start the season and go from there. Wouldn’t even mind them giving him a 1b glove and seeing if he can figure it out there. I’m sorry but Stanton and his ginormous contract needs to contribute in the field too. If you are in the prime of your career and can’t stay healthy shagging routine fly balls than baseball is not for you. If he’s going to get hurt in LF than he is going to get hurt DHing too.
The Yankees have Stanton as their DH.
Frazier/Hicks/Judge is the OF.
You know what’s crazy is I just thought to myself “well it will work itself out bc at least 2 of the 4 (Frazier, Stanton, Judge, Hicks) will be on the IL so a spot will be open somewhere. Sigh.
It’s also the reason why I’d hang on to Sanchez. My coach from high school always said if you can hit they will find a spot for you.
That’s the problem with hit-first catchers.
Sanchez is the Hispanic Mickey Tettleton.
I only wish he could take that many walks.
When Gary is on he is the best hitting catcher I’ve seen since Piazza who was on another level. Gary has always been weak defensively. I wouldn’t mind using him as a back up catcher and back up at first and see if he can regain confidence.
A 6 million dollar backup when Hal wants to reset the tax rate though?
The Yankees would be much better with Mike Zunino as their catcher. He is a defensive stud and has the ability to run into 10+ HRs per year and probably much more than that playing in Yankees stadium and being in the Yankees lineup.
Zunino is at best Bizzarro-Sanchez. Great fielder with up and down stats, horror show as a hitter. His OBP is basically unplayable. The two might make a good combo, but who knows.
Sanchez is playing baseball in the Dominican Republic this winter. His arb salary of around $6M is not that expensive for a guy that can still play and if he comes back in shape and his mind set on being the man then he will work out fine. If everything turns out negatively; six weeks of tryouts and spring training will still give the Yankees time to trade him or finally release him if that is their only option left. The downside of waiting of course is that all the Realmutos of the world will already be signed.
They’re not going to sign JT, but they should be looking very hard at Molina and McCann. They need a replacement right now, while they’re available.
When you aren’t allowed to catch for Cole and Kyle Higashioka beats you out as a playoff starter, I don’t think you can really play anymore.
Some team that needs a 3rd catcher option and DH will pick him up. He needs the kick in the rear of being dumped and a new change of scenery if he’s ever going to improve,
He couldn’t beat out Kyle Higashioka for a starting spot in the playoffs. He’s not allowed to catch for Cole.
There is no way they can bring him back as the starter. If no trade can be worked out, then you sign his replacement and either keep him as a backup, or non-tender him.
Maybe if he was around someone like Yadier Molina it would help him. But I am really out of patience and faith that he’ll ever be a good defensive catcher. When you combine that with 2 out of 3 seasons worth of Chris Davis like production, it’s an ugly situation.
If the Yanks are going to reset the luxury tax rate, then dropping his 6 million could go a long way towards helping the 2021 roster.
I wonder how many here declaring Sanchez useless were calling for teams to sign Matt Kemp? Cuz there was a lot of that nonsense around here a while ago.
Okay question time fellas…assuming they get a starting catcher, would you rather see Stanton in LF the majority of the time and Sanchez DHing or Stanton DHing?
Frazier is the LF. Stanton is the DH.
Stanton is most likely on the IL, so now the question is whose the DH?
Impact catching talent is markedly low around the majors, so I just don’t see a reason for the Yankees to simply non-tender Sanchez.
He’s just a year removed from hitting 34 home runs in 106 games, and while his both his offensive and defensive game have holes, the upside is too glaring not to give him another shot.
Besides, it’s the Yanks, it’d be a bit more understandable if it were a team like, say the Rays who pinch every penny.
Can people stop talking about non-tendering him. There is no chance theyre gonna do that to him. I think they will end up moving him in a trade and going after another catcher in FA (not JT)
It’s absurd. He’s a better bet to be 3 or more WAR than most players, especially if you can improve his catching/find another position for him. Non tendering him is absurd. Trading him? Okay maybe.
At worst, Sanchez is a 0 fWAR catcher in a full season. If he produces 1 fWAR, he’ll have earned his projected salary and has the ability/potential to provide tremendous surplus value. I’ll take that gamble anyday over someone with a 1.5 ceiling.
The Yankees will be sorry if they let Gary go I bet most of the votes to non tender him are from people that would hope their team signs him. He has a great bat. A rocket arm his downside is pitch framing and keeping the ball in front of him. How many catchers in the league are good in all 4 categories??
A great bat? Sure, but that doesn’t mean anything if he can’t hit the ball with it. And offense is the least important skill of catchers, strong arm is second-least important. Handling the pitching staff and helping the pitchers perform at their best, that is what is most important. Stealing calls and keeping the ball in front of you are next in terms of importance. Why do you think Salty was replaced by David Ross in the 2013 postseason? Why do you think Sandy Leon was the primary catcher in 2018? When it comes to catchers it’s defense before all else.
As for the good bat and rocket arm. Over the last 3 seasons combined his batting average is .200 and his on OBP is .295. Both below average. His caught stealing rate has dropped significantly from around 40% down to the mid to low 20’s. Feel free to look it all up. Yes he hits home runs but never off of good pitchers. Go look at the list of guys he hit bombs off of in 2019. He’s an easy out for an above average pitcher.
Fever pitch guy. What sport do you play tennis. Are you saying Gary Sanchez the cart her for the New York Yankees does not have a great bat. I’m not talking about 1down year. Or one up year. Just overall pitch calling is important but you can’t blame the catcher if the pitcher throws inside when the catcher sets up outside. I just think you should go to the volleyball site with your opinion
Howie, you apparently don’t watch the games. Sanchez is notorious for cross-ups. He’s lead the league in passed balls three of the last four seasons and last year the Yankee pitchers were 3 times more likely to throw a wild pitch when Gary was catching than they were with Higgy. This guy can’t play the position.
I am sorry. But I have never heard such nonsense in my life
The Yankees are stuck in a bit of a catch 22: they could keep Sanchez for one more season and hope he figures it out. They could non-tender him and get nothing in return or roll the dice and tender him and try to trade him for a couple of lotto tickets and maybe a fringe minor leaguer or two. They won’t be able to trade him prior to the non-tender deadline because why would a team give the Yankees anything and have to pay him whatever raise he gets in arbitration when they could wait and see if he hits free agency and pay him what will likely be a significantly lower dollar amount
How about Zunino on a 1 year deal and evaluate the situation again a year later ? 1 year / 7M$ ?
I am not a fan of the 3 choices given for the poll. I don’t think Yanks should non-tender Sanchez. But I do think they should try to trade him. He has trade value, especially if NL adds a DH. I realize not many teams would trade for him right now as a Catcher, but I do think he has value as a hitter despite the poor offensive year in 2020.
Unless fever pitch guy is running the national league team. He doesn’t think Sanchez has a bat
Talent can only get you so far. Already saw he was going to show up late for winter ball. Time to move on unless he shows up in Spring in fantastic shape and ready to play.
“A team with World Series aspirations can’t feel comfortable turning the primary job over to Higashioka.”
Why not?
Gerrit Cole insisted on having Higgy as his personal catcher.
His .250 AVG and .771 OPS for the short season coupled with top-20 framing skills and top-ten Catcher Pop Time make him well qualified to start behind the dish.
Not every backstop has to hit like Mike Piazza. He’s been blocked by Cashman’s commitment to Sanchez; but if Gary goes, there’s no good reason why Higgy can’t start. With more reps, I think his batting will improve with the big club,
Higgy led all catchers in Barrels per Plate Appearance this year and ranked 12th in that metric among all players, all positions, with at least 25 Batted Ball Events. His Average Exit Velocity was 89.7 MPH.