3 Yankees trades that can actually replace Gary Sánchez

2. Yankees-Mitch Garver Trade

Mitch Garver would be this offseason’s prize pig, and he’ll only be available if the Twins decide to prioritize their younger Garver knockoff, Ryan Jeffers, entering 2021.

Garver is controlled through 2023, and is coming off yet another impressive season you likely didn’t notice thanks to Minnesota entering the doldrums sometime around mid-April. In 243 plate appearances, the 31-year-old Garver mashed 13 homers and posted an otherworldly 139 OPS+. That’s the type of consistent difference-maker Sánchez was foretold to be.

During those limited snaps, Garver still put up 2.1 WAR, out-WARRING Sánchez by … 1.4. Oof.

Brian Cashman will only be able to have the Garver conversation if he promises to overpay a bit, considering Minnesota sliced backup-to-the-backup Willians Astudillo off the roster last week, and will be filling the No. 2 catcher role with the unproven Ben Rortvedt if they hand the keys to Jeffers. Do they believe in yet another kid? What if the proposal comes with either Gil or Oswald Peraza attached?

If Cashman drops one of those two names and adds lefty Ken Waldichuk or another top-15 prospect, that might be enough to get it done. Otherwise, maybe it’s Wesneski, Waldichuk, and a top-20 offensive prospect to close the deal. It all depends on what price the team ultimately pays or ducks out at in the Matt Olson chase.

Olson should be Trade Priority No. 1 this offseason, but you can make the case that the powerful Garver should be second in line. They just don’t make catchers like this anymore, as we saw during Sánchez’s four-year regression.