3 Yankees facing make-or-break seasons in 2021

2. Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez, it’s safe to say, has one more year to show the Yankees he’s worth it.

Again, there’s no need to spend much time here, but we did it with German, so let’s just do it again.

Gary Sanchez will be tendered a contract for the 2020 season despite speculation suggesting otherwise. Though he’s hardly impervious to trade rumors, we doubt the Yankees are going to sell low on the slugging catcher because that’s just not general manager Brian Cashman’s style.

So this is Sanchez’s last stand. He’s batting .200 since the start of 2018 and his shortened 2020 season nearly booked his ticket out of the big city. There’s no chance the Yankees will be tendering him a contract for the 2022 season with rising arbitration costs if he lays an egg once again. At that point, he’ll potentially cost closer to $10 million.

The Yankees, rightfully so, weren’t going to let a 60-game season cloud their overall judgement of Sanchez. Though it was, without a doubt, a putrid performance in every sense of the word, the 27-year-old’s ceiling remains high. However, his lack of improvement on defense and lagging plate discipline are a serious cause for concern.

Another year in which he boasts an unacceptably low average, costs the team runs behind the plate, and fails to register anything that resembles a timely hit, then he’s likely gone. But guess what? This is rock bottom for Sanchez. The only way to go is up. Perhaps that’ll help him get back on track in 2021.