Yankees: 6 Untouchables Who Should Not Be in Trade Talks

The Yankees won’t bother trading one of the best catchers in baseball.

C Gary Sanchez

We’ve read through Twitter, listened to the sports talk shows and read the columns about Gary Sanchez. The slugging Yankees catcher has taken his fair share of criticism for his supposed lackadaisical play, fielding woes and tendency to strike out.

What’s hard to believe is what gets missed in all of the criticism. Especially the one point that many fail to understand, which is the fact Sanchez is one of the best catchers in all of baseball.

Luckily, general manager Brian Cashman isn’t as reactionary as Yankees Twitter. Be thankful that Sanchez will be in the middle of the lineup making life a living hell for the opposing pitcher (and sometimes his own pitcher as well).

Sanchez led all catchers with 34 home runs and finished top-five at his position in OPS, .wOBA and RBI. No matter how much Sanchez may struggle behind the plate, he is nearly unmatched with his production at the dish.

While he may never become a plus-defender, the hope is that Tanner Swanson, the Yankees’ new catching coach, can help fill some of the holes in Sanchez’s game behind the plate.

The Yankees would be smart to keep these arms close at hand.

P Jonathan Loaisiga and P Deivi Garcia

When it comes to pitching prospects, the Yankees should keep Jonathan Loaisiga and Deivi Garcia out of the majority of trade talks.

Both hurlers are poised to become key arms for New York very soon. Loaisiga was expected to be in the rotation prior to the pandemic ,and Garcia was due for his first big league action in 2020.

When it comes to Loaisiga, his velocity and sharp breaking ball make him a viable bullpen piece even if the Yankees rotation fills out when the season begins. In the long term, that may also be where he is best suited. The Yankees need some youth in the bullpen, as many of their top arms are over 30 years old.

Loaisiga boasts a 97 MPH fastball and an impressive curveball. His numbers are far from eye-popping (15 games, 4.95 FIP, 31 innings), but all reports out of camp indicated that the Yankees viewed him as a valuable arm in 2020.

Garcia projects more as a starter. While he may not find that role this season, veteran arms James Paxton and Masahiro Tanaka are set to hit the market. While it remains a possibility they both return, they will be 32 next season, with their best years behind them.

It’s hard to say prospects are completely untouchable, but unless New York is getting a superstar like Francisco Lindor, Garcia and Loaisiga need to remain on the roster.

This out-of-this-world prospect needs to remain in the Yankees farm system.

OF Jasson Dominguez

Jasson Dominguez lands on my untouchables list even before he has played his first professional game. His debut, which was set for this summer, may not happen until 2021. It still doesn’t make a difference — the Yankees need to hang on to this prospect.

When a prospect is compared to  Mike Trout and Mickey Mantle, there better be a ridiculously good player on the board, even when that prospect is as raw as Dominguez. New York signed the then-16-year-old Dominguez for a franchise-record $5.1 million, nearly all of their allocated international signing bonus pool money.

According to multiple scouting reports, Dominguez has the physical attributes every team is looking for. Ben Badler of Baseball America also wrote a piece in 2019 detailing that not only is Dominguez a physical specimen and has all of the tools needed to succeed in the bigs, but he has a strong understanding of the game, even as a teenager.

“Watching him longer, it’s clear that Dominguez is more than just a raw athlete, but a relatively polished baseball player for 16, someone who has been playing in games his whole life. He has developed a clock for the game and a baseball IQ that’s advanced for his age and could help him move quickly, like the paths his compatriots Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Wander Franco have taken,” Badler wrote. Yeah, we’ll take that.

Dominguez’s journey is in its infancy. However, the Yankees might be kicking themselves if they don’t make the journey alongside him.

Keeping the face of the Yankees franchise around is a no-brainer.

OF Aaron Judge

Aaron Judge is the face of the New York Yankees. In the right-field seats, he presides over the Judge’s Chambers section, and the swarm of 99 jerseys that cheer him on grow each year. It’s amazing that only three seasons ago he was fighting for a starting job.

While recent injuries have impacted his availability over the past two seasons, when on the field there is no denying Judge is one of the games premier talents.

Judge’s power is unmatched with only fellow Yankee outfielder Giancarlo Stanton able to match the speed and distance at which Judge can hit a baseball.

Although it may be a small outfield to roam in Yankee Stadium, Judge is a tremendous outfielder who fires pinpoint throws from the corner and uses his size to scale the right-field wall and make diving catches.

Off the field,  Judge is the leader of the clubhouse, bringing in a new vibe to the roster as the old guard, including CC Sabathia and Brett Gardner, end their careers.

Judge’s makeup is also perfect for New York. No situation fazes him. Whether he’s growing frustrated with injuries or has just hit a home run in the playoffs, he answers questions all the same.

Speaking of playoffs, Judge has come through when it mattered most. In 27 games, Judge has hit eight homers and driven in 28 RBI with a .910 OPS.

While he may need to lead the Yankees to a World Series before earning the Captain’s “C,” there’s no doubt that the Yankees have become Judge’s team.  A player that important cannot be traded.

Gleyber Torres will be a Yankee for the next decade.

SS Gleyber Torres

Gleyber Torres is the most untouchable Yankee. He is one of the game’s top young stars and has already proven that he can shine under the bright lights of New York. It’s plain and simple.

Projecting Torres’ career is dangerous because it has only just begun, but it isn’t too early to assume he will be a staple in the lineup for the next decade. At just 23 years old, Torres is already a two-time All Star with a .275/.338/.511 line, and an athletic infielder with 30-plus home run power.

Aside from some fielding issues that need to be cleaned up, are there any concerns about Torres’ game? He gets on base at a great clip, he hits for power and he has handled the pressure that comes with putting on the pinstripes.

Performing at that level at such a young age is almost unheard of. The last time the Yankees had a shortstop look like that in his first two seasons was Derek Jeter. Now I won’t get too far ahead of myself and start making comparisons to one of the best shortstops ever, but Torres’ career could look pretty similar.

While it may be impossible to live up to the level that Jeter did in the hearts of Yankees fans, Torres could remain in pinstripes for years to come and grow into the next player who defines a generation of New York baseball.

The Yankees are nowhere near foolish enough to let a player of Torres’ caliber leave town. Frankly, I need to stop discussing this, because it’s just making me upset. I need to see Torres don the pinstripes for the next decade.