Yankees send signal they may be done with Gary Sanchez

Gary Sanchez’s career with the Yankees may be over. The team is already eyeing James McCann as a potential replacement via free agency.

The Yankees are actively evaluating potential replacements for Gary Sanchez in free agency. The team’s reported interest in James McCann shows a clear willingness by Brian Cashman and his front office to move on from the enigmatic slugger.

According to Jon Heyman, McCann is drawing free agent interest from the Yankees, Mets, Cardinals, White Sox, and Phillies. The Mets and Phillies view him as a potential alternative to J.T. Realmuto. St. Louis might pounce on him as an alternative over Yadier Molina. The White Sox, of course, would like to keep him in the fold for at least a few more seasons.

Why would the Yankees decide to move on from Gary Sanchez?

Kyle Higashioka’s obvious rapport with Gerrit Cole makes him a virtual lock to stick with the Yankees for another season. That leaves Sanchez as the likely odd-man out if McCann does head to the Bronx. New York has until 8 p.m. on Wednesday to decide whether or not they want to tender Sanchez a contract for the 2021 campaign.

Doing so would send the two sides to arbitration over Sanchez’s potential compensation. Not offering the catcher a new deal would render him an unrestricted free agent. The Yankees could conceivably re-sign him at a lower price that way, but it’s more likely Sanchez would seek a fresh start elsewhere.

In sharp contrast to Sanchez, McCann is coming off a stellar 2020 season. He hit for the highest average of his MLB career (.289) and posted solid peripheral offensive numbers across the board. McCann doesn’t offer the same ceiling as a Silver Slugger that Sanchez does, but the Yankees are attracted to his higher floor as a player.

McCann is not an elite defender, but he also projects as a solid upgrade over Sanchez in that department. The Yankees organization has expended serious resources on helping Sanchez upgrade his glovework, but his defense was as poor as ever in 2020. It’s possible the higher-ups inside the Yankees’ front office have come to the conclusion that Sanchez will never be anything more than a poor defender.

Price will likely be a key factor in the Yankees’ choice between McCann and Sanchez. The team could likely bring Sanchez back on a one-year deal that would pay him somewhere around $6 million. It might cost twice that in a multi-year deal to land McCann. He has a lot of suitors on the open market.

If the Yankees don’t tender Sanchez this week, look for Cashman to get aggressive in his pursuit of McCann. The club’s interest in him clearly puts Sanchez’s tenure in the Bronx in serious jeopardy.