This winter New York Yankees‘ Gary Sanchez’s name has consistently been floated in trade rumors. Informed sources claim the Yankees wanted J.T. Realmuto, or Noah Syndergaard, or some other ridiculous fake trade people throw out for click bait.
The Yankees would be out of their minds to trade Sanchez, and GM Brian Cashman knows it.
What are the issues with the Yankees trading Sanchez?
The first issue is that even if you believe the team has soured on Sanchez (they haven’t), his value is the lowest it has been. After an injury plagued season where he couldn’t hit for average, block the plate, or run to first base, teams are likely to be weary.
He also just had shoulder surgery for an injury that’s bothered him for two years, which would be another red flag for potential suitors. Unless Cashman wants to trade a dollar for three-quarters I don’t see a trade happening.
The other reason it would be a bad idea to trade Sanchez is even more obvious….he’s been better than almost every other catcher in baseball even when he was at his worst. For his career his 162 game average stats would work out to a .262 BA, 43 HR and 113 RBI. J.T. Realmuto would come in at .279, 21, 79.
Realmuto is a good player but Sanchez has to potential to be HOF caliber. Teams don’t give up on that type of talent especially at a premium defensive position.
Are Sanchez’s defensive issues sensationalized?
Speaking of defense, Sanchez’s issues there are overblown. He had the bad luck that some of his passed balls ended up deciding the outcomes of games and shined a spotlight on one of the aspects of catching he struggles with.
His framing stats are in the upper third of all catchers, he controls the running game with a strong-arm and a quick release, and Yankee pitchers have spoken out about how well he calls a game. Yes he has struggled with his positioning blocking the plate and he can get lazy at times and just reach for balls instead of using his body. I’ll take the occasional passed ball in exchange for the overall package he offers.
Another narrative that has bubbled to the surface is his effort running the bases. What seems to be forgotten is he had been struggling with hamstring issues and actually went back on the DL shortly after his second lapse for that very reason.
Effort is not the issue:
If Yankee fans are so worked up about his effort why are they in such a rush to throw $250 million dollars at a player (Manny Machado) who told the world he wasn’t “Charlie Hustle?” I assure you every other team in baseball including the Marlins would be ecstatic to have Sanchez as a foundational piece of their team.
I think fans forget Sanchez is only 26 years old, has not reached his peak in any aspect of the game yet, and like all players will experience growing pains. Aaron Judge struggled adjusting in the later summer of rookie year and if my recollections are correct went 0 for August with 200 strikeouts…or something like that.
Youth is a process:
Every young player hits bumps in his development and I believe injuries were a huge contributor to the Kraken’s. So all you Yankee fans clamoring for a trade be careful what you wish for. As for me, at then end of the season I’m confident that I’ll be posting a self-congratulatory I told you so. Lets see come October what the right call was.