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Should the New York Yankees consider trading Gary Sanchez?

By Manny Gómez

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 07: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees looks on during game three of the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on October 07, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - OCTOBER 07: Gary Sanchez #24 of the New York Yankees looks on during game three of the American League Division Series against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on October 07, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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In just a little over four seasons with the New York Yankees, Gary Sanchez has left some wondering if he should be traded. Well, should he?

This season, it seemed as though New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez had shed all the baggage collected in the past. Offensively, he managed to climb over the Mendoza-line and defensively, he seemed to have figured out a way to keep balls in front of him.

However, after the Yankees were eliminated from the postseason in game six of the ALCS, missing the World Series for the first decade since the 1910s, one thing didn’t change: Gary was taking all the blame.

A recent post’s comment section featured a user who declared Sanchez “one of the WORST catchers (if not THE worst) in ALL of baseball.” On Twitter, others decided to go lower, calling him a “thug” in the comments section of a post that truly presents him as otherwise.

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Where do people come up with this stuff?

Here are the facts or all of the reasons why the Yankees should not trade Gary Sanchez:

  1. His OPS (.841) this season is almost .150 points higher than last season. It’s also third-highest among MLB catchers with a minimum 400 PA.
  2. His 34 HR is almost double what he hit last season (18) and most among MLB catchers
  3. His wOBA (.346) is almost .050 points higher than last season. It too is also third-highest among MLB catchers with a minimum 400 PA.
  4. Since 2016, Sanchez is the fourth-ranked MLB catcher in FanGraphs behind Yasmani Grandal, J.T. Realmuto, and Buster Posey.
  5. Defensively, he cut down on the number of passed balls (PB) and wild pitches (WP) quite drastically. He also picked off a career-high three runners.

And now, all of the reasons why the Yankees should trade Sanchez:

  1. Fans can’t seem to warm up to him.
  2. He stuck out a career-high 125 times this season.
  3. He is injury prone. Since 2016, he’s already had six stints on the IL.
  4. Defensively, he is framing pitches worse than before, saving fewer runs, and allowing more steals

I would argue that the New York Yankees are a better team with Gary Sanchez than without him. There are few catchers in the history of baseball who can do what he does offensively, and his defensive problems this season are fixable.

In the past, Gary was an elite pitch framer and has been highly touted for having one of the best arms in baseball. In my opinion, his focus on not allowing PB and WP have negatively impacted other parts of his game

With another season under his belt, those numbers should even out a bit.

The answer to all of the hatred he’s received on behalf of some, not all Yankees fans is: get over it. Unless you get a Grandal or Realmuto, the best catcher in MLB, in return, you’re staring in the face of a loss at the position.

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The solution: keep Gary right where he belongs as a member of the New York Yankees.

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