Gary Sanchez trade should have nothing to do with DJ LeMahieu

The Yankees are open to listening to trades for Gary Sanchez … but there’s a catch.

After the New York Yankees were eliminated from the playoffs, reports surfaced that the team tried to trade slugging catcher Gary Sanchez in August but couldn’t make it work — neither of which is a surprise. Sanchez has largely been a detriment to the team, and who’s going to want to pay for a catcher who plays bad defense and has hit .200 since 2018?

Now, we can’t understand how this is the new buzz surrounding Sanchez. It appears as if the Yankees aren’t all that sold on moving the two-time All-Star and at this juncture it’ll hinge on a couple of factors.

Why did this all of a sudden change? Sanchez’s horrible play shouldn’t be contingent upon anything else, really. Kyle Higashioka proved that he could be a more effective everyday starter, and if the Yankees really need to, they can get themselves a cheaper platoon option to pair with Higgy, which would save them millions if they could get rid of Sanchez.

But here we are, we guess.

Here’s the latest from Dan Martin, Ken Davidoff and Joel Sherman of the New York Post:

"“Now, two sources have told The Post, that the Yankees will at minimum listen to offers on Sanchez.“The Yankees want a full understanding of what DJ LeMahieu will cost to keep or if he is staying before they decide any significant allocation elsewhere.“Sanchez was awarded $5 million in arbitration last offseason and will likely get a small raise heading into 2021 despite his recent poor results. But the Yankees are determined not to give him away and will also have to figure out how they would replace Sanchez behind the plate.“Among the factors the Yankees are weighing before moving on from Sanchez is how they plan to handle LeMahieu’s free agency.“Until LeMahieu’s market becomes clear, the Yankees seem unlikely to make a move with Sanchez or any other player.”"

Earlier on Thursday it was reported the Yankees had expressed interest in Yadier Molina, which feels like the perfect move, and totally makes sense in terms of how it’ll affect Sanchez’s future. But LeMahieu? Come on.

Can someone explain how he affects this? Maybe if he costs too much, the Yankees wouldn’t be able to afford Molina, which would then hamper their ability to upgrade behind the plate. But like we said, move Sanchez’s contract, install Higgy as the starter and find someone to platoon with him (Austin Romine, Alex Avila?). That saves at least $2.5 million right there.

Trading Gary Sanchez should be a priority at this point. Pride cannot get in the way. Get rid of his salary and move on. You’ll need an epic rebound from him in order to get a sizable return, and at that point you’re just wasting your time waiting for a 28-year-old player to display basic, above-average baseball qualities.

The only way LeMahieu plays a role is if Molina is the Yankees’ one and only choice, and at that point, that feels like a bit of a stretch. What’s Molina going to command in free agency? Tops $10 million per year? Which is only $5 million more than what Sanchez is getting paid? If you can make that upgrade for that cheap, you do it. There’s no sense in worrying about anything else.

We could be wrong in our estimation, but if even if we’re not, the Yankees’ reported sudden unwillingness to part with Sanchez and making excuses by attaching him to other players is bizarre.

Pride cannot get in way of Yankees trying to trade Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees simply need to move on from Gary Sanchez and they cannot worry about selling low in order to make it happen.