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Yankees plan to contract receiver Gary Sanchez before the 7 p.m. CT non-submission deadline tonight, MLB Network’s Jon Heyman tweets. According to the “37 percent” projection method used by MLBTR’s Matt Swart, Sanchez is expected to earn $ 5.5 million on his second trip through the arbitration process.
The idea of Sanchez as a non-bidding candidate would have been unthinkable even a year ago, and yet it has emerged as a possibility following a disastrous 2020 season for the receiver. Sanchez only hit 0.147 / 0.253 / 0.365 out of 178 appearances on the plateau, continued to struggle defensively and saw Kyle higashioka most often assume starting catcher duties in the Yankees stretch and playoffs.
On the heels of a year of decline in 2018 and even a 2019 season that saw Sanchez posting big power numbers but a batting average of .232 and .316 OBP, some thought the Yankees could just cut it off. the links with the former All-Star. Rumor has it that the Yankees are looking to evade the luxury tax threshold, Sanchez’s salary has been deemed unusable.
On the other hand, there was also good reasoning for keeping Sanchez. $ 5.5million isn’t a big cost for a player (especially a receiver) with Sanchez’s power potential, and he was certainly far from the only notable star to have struggled in the small stature of. sample of the 60-game 2020 campaign and all the unusual circumstances surrounding the season. Getting rid of Sanchez would also mean New York should have found a replacement behind plate, which might also have been an expensive endeavor unless the team signed some type of peloton to share time with Higashioka.
It’s still not out of the question that Sanchez could be traded before opening day, although reaching a deal would be tricky. Surely the Yankees wouldn’t want to move Sanchez when his value is at an all-time low, although rival teams obviously wouldn’t want to pay a premium given the receiver’s tough year either.
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