Yankees: Brian Cashman’s comments on Gary Sanchez don’t rule out potential trade

Yankees general manager Brian Cashman revealed Gary Sanchez isn’t guaranteed the starting job in 2021.

It was another nightmare campaign for New York Yankees catcher Gary Sanchez, whose non-existent bat and continued unreliable defense kept him out of the starting lineup for four out of the five ALDS games against the Tampa Bay Rays.

At this point, it’s safe to say most fans don’t want him back because many have seen enough since the start of 2018. Despite the home runs, Sanchez has been more of a detriment than a strength for the Bombers.

And based on general manager Brian Cashman’s latest comments, it appears as if he’s on the same page with the fanbase.

Wow. What’s even crazier about this? He pretty much refuted what owner Hal Steinbrenner said on Tuesday and what manager Aaron Boone said earlier on Wednesday. Steinbrenner and Boone were optimistic about Sanchez rebounding in 2021. Cashman? Not so much.

Cashman’s influence reigns supreme here and we highly doubt ownership will flinch if he manages to move Sanchez and his $5 million-plus salary this offseason to create a platoon with Kyle Higashioka. Once again, as we’ve seen with this Yankees lineup, Sanchez is a redundant, boom-or-bust home run hitter that the offense doesn’t necessarily need.

Cashman reiterated multiple times that the Yankees possess a championship roster, and if he’s saying this about Sanchez, it’s at least hinting at the possibility he’ll be looking to fix the problem at catcher, whether it’s signing a higher-profile option or going with a platoon that puts bat on ball more consistently.

However, we won’t know the final verdict until days or weeks after the World Series, which will be at the end of the month. Cashman has plenty of time to think on this and have any necessary discussions with Boone and Steinbrenner, which obviously need to happen given their conflicting viewpoints here.

Yankees: Swapping out Gary Sanchez for JT Realmuto is not the answer

The New York Yankees do need to get rid of Gary Sanchez, but they don't need to spend a ton of money on JT Realmuto in free agency.