A New Name That Could Replace Gary Sanchez For 2021!

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That sounds a lot different then recent years. I think the Yankees are ready to move on but maybe not to some of the names we’ve talked about. As much as I like the idea of J.T. Realmuto or Yadier Molina, the Yankees sound like they are not going to be big spenders this winter. If they are looking to get under the luxury tax, they might not have room for either of them….or want to save any room for Sanchez.

According to George A King III HERE, “Dec. 2, which is Sanchez’s 28th birthday, is the deadline for teams to offer pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players a contract for next season. Any player who isn’t tendered, and there a lot of industry types who believe Sanchez won’t be, is a free agent.”

I don’t see the Yankees trading him by December 2nd. Even if teams do want him, they will likely get a better deal on him if he does become a free agent. So the Yankees are really in a tough spot there. But if they did just let Sanchez become a free agent….there’s another name they could consider.

Here’s a new name to watch, James McCann. The 30 year old played last season for the Chicago White Sox and some baseball enthusiasts called him an important part of one of the best catching tandems in baseball. He was an All-Star back in 2019 with a .273 BA, 18 home runs and 60 RBI’s.

It’s harder to get excited by his 2020 numbers thanks to the shortened season but he finished with a .289BA, 7 home runs and 15 RBI’s. He may not be the same slugger than Sanchez is but he still has a good bat and is definitely a defensive upgrade. He allowed two passed balls with a .985 fielding percentage and threw out 33% of runners. He has some defensive concerns also, he ranked third in the AL in 2019 for errors but he showed better numbers this season and could still be an upgrade the Yankees want and would still cost less than Realmuto.

I’m willing to look at all possibilities right now, and right now I’m willing to bet the Yankees are too. Right now it sounds like Sanchez may not get the birthday gift he’s hoping for….I guess we will wait and see what happens.