Gary Sanchez is doing his best to play himself out of a job.
Between his shaky defense and streaky bat, Sanchez may be facing his final days in a New York Yankees uniform.
Yes, the 28-year-old Sanchez is eligible for arbitration next year. But would anyone blame the Yankees for cutting ties with the two-time All-Star?
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If general manager Brian Cashman is ready to pull the plug, MLB Trade Rumors reports there are a pair of free-agent catchers who stand out above the rest this winter: Yan Gomes and Manny Pina.
Both are 34 years old. Gomes picked up a World Series ring in 2019 with the Washington Nationals, who traded him to the Oakland A’s in July. Pina has spent the last six seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers and has a career-high 12 home runs this season.
If the Yankees are looking to do some sort of timeshare next season with Kyle Higashioka, a pair of former Yankees catchers will be on the open market, according to MLB Trade Rumors.
New York could turn back to the 37-year-old Robinson Chirinos, who the Yankees released in July. Chirinos caught on with the Chicago Cubs and has hit .232 with five home runs in 44 games.
Chirinos is sharing time in Chicago with ex-Yankees catcher Austin Romine. The 32-year-old Romine played for New York from 2011 to 2019.
Austin Wells is the top-rated catcher in the Yankees’ minor-league system, with MLB Pipeline ranking him as the club’s No. 6 prospect. But Wells, a first-round draft pick in 2020, isn’t close to making his MLB debut. Wells started 2021 with the Low-A Tampa Tarpons before being promoted to High-A Hudson Valley, where he hit .274 in 38 games.
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Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com.
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