There are teams around Major League Baseball that believe the New York Yankees are done with Gary Sanchez, that’s at least according to general manager Brian Cashman.
Last week on the Michael Kay Show, Cashman revealed that he has gotten some interest for the catcher, who saw a dramatic fall from grace over the past year.
Entering the 2018 season, many believed that Sanchez could have very well been the best all-around hitter in the Yankees lineup. After all, he was coming off a 2017 campaign in which he batted .279, clubbed 33 home runs and drove in 90 runs in just 122 games.
Instead of that average climbing toward the .290 mark, which was expected to happen, Sanchez’s numbers plummeted as he batted a miserable .186 with 18 home runs and 53 RBI in an 89-game season that was plagued with slumps, defensive miscues, lack of hustle, benchings and injuries.
It forced the Yankees to lean on Austin Romine heavily at times throughout the season, who put up better overall numbers than Sanchez in 77 games as he posted a .244 average with 10 home runs and 42 RBI.
Sanchez managed to return to the lineup regularly in September and had one memorable night during the postseason when he knocked a pair of home runs out of Fenway Park in Game 2 of the ALDS, the Yankees’ lone win of the series.
But for some around baseball to think that it was his last contribution in a Yankees uniform was asinine to Cashman, who was quick to point out that Sanchez isn’t going anywhere.
“We know what he’s capable of doing,” Cashman said. “And I’m already getting phone calls, to be honest, from clubs trying to knock on our door to see if he’s available. And he’s not… He will be our catcher.”
It’s the logical move for the Yankees considering Sanchez is just 25 years old, under team control until 2022 and still was one of the best power-hitting catchers in baseball in 2018 despite the nightmare of a season. While many Yankees fans might have gotten on Sanchez’s case, it could simply be a blip on the radar for the franchise catcher.
