Gary Sanchez was supposed to be the next great catcher for the New York Yankees, but so far things have not panned out. He was stellar in his first two seasons, batting a combined .283 with 53 home runs and 133 RBIs between 2016 and 2017. However, the last three years have been absolutely dismal. In the Aaron Boone era, Sanchez has bat just .196 and has struggled to stay healthy.
Current Philadelphia Phillie and two-time all-star JT Realmuto is a free agent at years end. He was traded to the Phillies prior to the 2019 season from the Miami Marlins. Should the Yankees pursue him in the off-season?
Realmuto, 30, has always been a very reliable and consistent option. You know what you’re going to get from him, and he stays healthy. He’s played at least 120 games in each of his five full seasons, and has bat in the .270s in each of his last three years. He hits home runs, drives in runs, and always sits above an .800 OPS.
Also, Realmuto is a reliable defender, coming off his first gold glove award in 2019. He has a career 36% caught stealing rate, and a fielding percentage well over 99%.
Stats show that Realmuto is a significantly better player than Gary Sanchez. With Realmuto hitting the open market, this may be the Yankees best chance over the next few years to land a stud catcher. Although Sanchez has struggled the last three years, he may succeed somewhere else if the team were to trade him. The team could get a nice package back if they traded him.
Will the Yankees pursue JT Realmuto this offseason, or will they continue to stick with Gary Sanchez?