3 teams that should trade for Gary Sanchez amid Yankees drama

It was quite obvious from the start of the Hot Stove season that the Chicago Cubs were not going to be very active. They are in full cost-cutting mode (minus the Joc Pederson signing). The tone was set this winter after the team traded ace and NL Cy Young runner-up Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres with the purpose of freeing money off the books. There are other names that could be available on the trade block to bolster Chicago’s farm system, such as third baseman Kris Bryant and starting pitcher Kyle Hendricks. One player that has been generating buzz on the block is catcher Willson Contreras.

This offseason, there have been reports of teams having interest in Contreras, such as the Los Angeles Angels and Miami Marlins. But if there’s one team you can never count out on making a big splash on the trade block, it’s the New York Yankees.

While Contreras doesn’t have the same slugging abilities as Sanchez, he makes up for it in batting average and getting on base. Contreras accumulated a .265 batting average and .351 on-base percentage, as opposed to Sanchez’s .236 average and .320. on-base percentage.

The Yankees saw firsthand last season that Sanchez was an “easy out” once he’d step into the batters box. That is why he got benched for five out of New York’s seven playoff games in favor of Kyle Higashioka. Contreras could be the move that really puts the Yankees over the edge in a competitive American League in 2021.

As for Sanchez, he could benefit from this change of scenery. Sanchez can learn from manger David Ross, who for his 15-year playing career was one of the better defensive catchers in the game. If Ross can fix Sanchez’s defensive deficiencies, then the Cubs get the added benefit of his power in the batting order. Plus, the Yankees could send prospects along with Sanchez to facilitate the move. If there is anything the Cubs need to do right now, it is continue to bolster the prospect pipeline. Flipping Contreras and taking on Sanchez can help them do just that.