Austin Romine Almost Has to Be Traded Now, Doesn’t He?

The New York Yankees and their fans had to feel at least a twinge of certain and impending doom when they learned that their catcher and star player Gary Sanchez would be heading to the disabled list with a biceps strain, I know I felt it anyway. Somehow, someway the New York Yankees have been resilient and have somehow improved without Sanchez under the combination of Austin Romine and Kyle Higashioka begging the question, does Austin Romine have to be traded now? I mean he almost does, doesn’t he? Or maybe that’s just me.

Romine didn’t just keep the Yankees heads above water during the Sanchez disabled list stint but he actually performed pretty damn well not only behind the plate but at the dish as well. The Yankees have gone 16-5 with Romine as their everyday starting catcher and Romine himself has compiled a .316 batting average with timely hits, home runs and RBI. In short Romine showed that he can handle the everyday catching duties at the Major League level. That’s good, the problem is that Higashioka was pretty damn impressive for the Yankees as well. Higashioka has options and Romine doesn’t so a trade isn’t imminent but it almost makes sense to move Romine now for prospects or as a part of a deal for something the team needs later on in the season. At least to me.

Romine has done well for the Yankees and to me, and this is a fan’s perspective obviously, I’d like to see him earn a shot to be a starter somewhere because I feel like he’s earned it. I feel like Higashioka has earned the right to be the Yankees backup catcher. I could be premature a bit in my thinking on both admittedly but that is how I feel. Romine is 28-years old and out of minor league options so the time is now for him and that “now” is not going to come with the Yankees. Not as long as Gary Sanchez is on the team and healthy. I’d miss him, I love him as a player, but I’d wish him well with the thought process that he is finally getting the opportunity to live out his dreams as a starter.

So could Romine be the next John Ryan Murphy and fetch the Yankees something useful in a trade? I honestly think it should happen, whether it will happens remains to be seen. Stay tuned.

Trading Brian McCann Without Hurting Gary Sanchez

There has been some backlash to the idea of trading Brian McCann, and at one point I joined them. The reason for doing so stemmed from my belief that catchers are perhaps the most intelligent and well-informed players on the field.

A catcher has to learn the tendencies of his pitching staff, so that he knows what pitches his pitcher likes to throw in certain situations. He also needs to learn about opposing hitters, and what pitches they're good at hitting and in what situations.

But it doesn't end there...

Catchers also need to be aware of what's going on throughout the game, as they sometimes have to call plays. Most notably when there are runners on first and third.

Having a good rapport with pitchers can help a ton, as there are times a pitcher needs to be talked to. Whether that be because a certain hitter is coming up, and they need to discuss strategy to get him out. Or perhaps the pitcher is struggling, and the catcher either needs to give that pitcher a break or communicate a possible reason for the struggling.

It's safe to say that a catcher's value goes way beyond the numbers on the back of their baseball cards. Heck, I didn't even mention pitch-framing, which is something Brian McCann is known to be very good at.

"Are you questioning how much I make? Really?"

As good as Gary Sanchez has looked at the plate, to go along with much praise on how he's improved defensively behind the plate, he can learn a ton from Brian McCann over the last two years of McCann's contract (assuming the Yankees don't exercise their team option for Brian in 2019).

But how do you play both of them?

Do you simply let them alternate days as the team's designated hitter and catcher? Although, it's not as though the team couldn't use the DH spot to give at bats to others. For example, Greg Bird could DH every so often while Austin Romine played a game at first base. Or Aaron Judge could get a half day off and DH while Tyler Austin starts in right field. Not to mention that Brett Gardner or Jacoby Ellsbury are no longer young, so they could use a DH-day, too.

I suppose Brian McCann could start at first base every once in a while. He has appeared at 1B in 29 games since coming to New York a couple of years ago. Although McCann has made it clear he's not comfortable over there. Plus, the Yankees have Greg Bird and others that could get time at first base, like the aforementioned Tyler Austin or Rob Refsnyder.

Like with trading so many other players, it all comes down to what the Yankees can get in return. You don't want to give away Brian McCann for next to nothing. This is not a "money dump" situation. If somebody such as the Atlanta Braves offer a couple of good to great prospects, then go ahead and do it. But the return has to be something the Yankees can use, if not right away at least sometime down the road, at the MLB level.

That's not to say I expect the Yankees to get another prospect the level of Clint Frazier or Gleyber Torres. But I'm not talking about a player(s) to be named later, either.

One last thing to keep in mind...

While McCann has all those things I mentioned earlier to offer Gary Sanchez, Brian isn't the only person around the Yankee clubhouse that could do that. There is another person that had a long catching career, saw things from both the American League and National League side of things, and has mentored another catcher before he had a great career...

I know that Joe Girardi has a lot on his plate as the team's manager, so he may not have a lot of time to offer Gary Sanchez as a mentor. But Sanchez won't be on his own when it comes to learning how to catch in Major League Baseball.

And Girardi's not the only guy on the coaching staff with plenty of MLB catching experience...

Current Yankees' First Base coach, Tony Pena, spent 18 years as a catcher in MLB. Seven plus years of that was spent in the American League. And you can't say Pena wasn't any good as a catcher, as he was a five time All Star and four time recipient of the Gold Glove Award.

So I don't think trading McCann would necessarily hurt the development of Gary Sanchez. Not that Brian's presence wouldn't be a good thing for Gary, but there are others around that can help. The main thing for the Yankees, should they deal away McCann, is to get something good in return. Perhaps some pitching help, now that Nathan Eovaldi's days in pinstripes may be over.

Weekly Prospects Check In: Gary Sanchez

The New York Yankees need a shot in the arm not only offensively but in the youth department as well. The Yankees have looked old this far this season and they have under-exceeded expectations that most fans and personnel inside the organization had for this club. It all started in spring training when players like Robert Refsnyder didn’t live up to the hopes of the team defensively at third base and it continued when Gary Sanchez was sent back to Triple-A after struggling to hit the ball with any consistency. Now the Yankees find themselves needing power and a spark and especially from the right side of the plate, could Sanchez once again provide that?

He could but in my opinion he’s likely not going to any time soon. The Yankees seem to want to delay his free agency by a season keeping by him in the minor leagues for a few more weeks and the team frankly doesn’t have a spot for him on the team right now. Sanchez is a catcher by trade and has no other defensive upside other than at the catcher position. New York already has Austin Romine and Brian McCann for that while Alex Rodriguez has finally heated up as the team’s DH leaving Sanchez to toil in the minor leagues until he’s ready or until a need arises.

Sanchez may only be down for a few weeks but if he continues to post the stats that we all have come accustomed to seeing he may not be down for long after that. 

Year	Age	Lev	G	PA	R	H	2B	HR	RBI	SB	BB	SO	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2016	23	AAA	19	82	7	17	8	2	11	1	6	13	.227	.293	.440	.733

Provided by Baseball-Reference.com: View Original Table

Gary Sanchez 2nd Best Prospect Catcher by MLB.com

MLB.com ranked the Top 10 prospects at every position this offseason around the majors and Gary Sanchez made the list for catchers. Gary Sanchez is the second best prospect catcher in all of Major League Baseball according to the website and their list.

Here is the free write-up from MLB.com on Sanchez:

2. Gary Sanchez, Yankees

Sanchez resuscitated his prospect stock last season between the Double-A and Triple-A levels, and he made his big league debut in early October. He then showcased his huge power and cannon arm in the Arizona Fall League, pacing the circuit with seven home runs and a 62 percent caught-stealing rate. Despite Sanchez's improvement as a blocker and receiver last season, questions remain about whether he will be able to catch every day in the big leagues. However, there's little doubt that he's ready to make an impact at the plate.

And here is the Top 10 List originally seen HERE. 

1. Willson Contreras - Cubs
2. Gary Sanchez - Yankees
3. Jorge Alfaro - Phillies
4. Reese McGuire - Pirates
5. Tyler Stephenson - Reds
6. Elias Diaz - Pirates
7. Dom Nunez - Rockies
8. Jacob Nottingham - A's
9. Max Pentecost - Blue Jays
10. Aramis Garcia - Giants

Does Buying Low on Jonathan Lucroy Make Any Sense?

I love being a blogger and a writer. I do it here on the blog every day for free and I pump out a ton of content not because of any financial gains or because I am getting anything out of it but because I truly just love to do it. Sometimes as a blogger, and I think this gets confused by some who read my work, I like to play both sides of things. Sometimes I write about free agent targets or moves that I personally, the fan, would like to see while sometimes I just throw out ideas to gauge interest from you, my friends and everyone who reads this site. This is one of those ideas that I don’t necessarily think or want to happen but I am more interested in what you, the readers, think. Does buying low on Milwaukee Brewers catcher Jonathan Lucroy make any sense? 

Initially it really doesn’t look like it makes any sense. The Yankees already have a catcher in Brian McCann and presumably a backup catcher, albeit an unproven one at the Major League level, in Gary Sanchez so on paper the deal seems redundant but what if. What if the Yankees were worried about McCann’s .230 average from 2015 and his decline at the plate in every aspect but the power department, check his splits from Yankee Stadium to on the road by the way, and they wanted some insurance behind the dish? Also what if the Yankees aren’t entirely sold on Sanchez’s readiness and value as a backup catcher after dominating the Arizona Fall League and 35 games or so in Triple-A this season? That’s a legitimate concern I guess, although Greg Bird played in less Triple-A games and held his own in the majors this season, that may lead the Yankees to another backup catcher to give Sanchez another half season or so in Scranton. 

I only bring up Lucroy specifically because of his age and his value as far as his contract goes. Hal Steinbrenner doesn’t want to add payroll and he wouldn’t have to add much if Lucroy was acquired. Lucroy has two years left on his current deal with Milwaukee and is set to make just $4 million this season and $5.2 million next season before hitting free agency at age 31. I also bring up Lucroy specifically because he wants out of Milwaukee and wants to play for a contender. As recently as 2014 Lucroy hit .301 with 53 doubles which was good for a fourth place finish in the NL MVP voting before injuries limited his 2015 season to just 103 games and a .264 average. His bat would only improve the team, no one can deny that. 

You guys know me, I want Sanchez to not only take innings away from McCann to keep him healthy and fresh but I want him to take at bats away from Alex Rodriguez for the same reason. I want the Yankees farm system to bear another fruit and I want another Yankees farm system success to write about all season long. Sometimes we can’t always get what we want though and sometimes some things just make sense. Is Lucroy one of them? Leave your thoughts below in the comments.